


Uncharted: The Lone Survivor

by WinterZombie9



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Other, Post-Canon, Pre-The Lost Legacy, Uncharted 4, Uncharted Original Story, uncharted - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-03-15 21:48:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13622319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterZombie9/pseuds/WinterZombie9
Summary: Meet Dorthey Zara, a half Russian-half American Lady of not so noble birth. After being exiled from her Russian home by her cold-hearted mother, Dorthey traveled to America where she met Victor Sullivan, the father figure she never thought she deserved. And even after years of training, nothing could have prepared her for a mission with fellow thief, Sam Drake. Together, they will uncover a family secret, and perhaps solve one of history’s biggest mysteries: what truly happened to the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. *Rated M for future chapters to come*





	1. The Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Originally published by me on FanFiction.net*

**The Prologue**

It was days like this that Dorthey dread.

On most days, Dorthey allowed herself to pretend she was living a normal life, being a normal teenager, at a normal state school. To everyone around her, she was just a girl studying history. Even on the walk to work today, Dorthey didn't think anything out of the ordinary would happen.

Until she heard that gruff voice.

"Hey there, Kid."

Dorthey turned, finding Victor Sullivan standing behind her.

"What do you want Victor?" She asked, her back facing him.  _Not now_ , she thought.

"You're a hard person to find these days Dorthey, or should I say Krista?" Victor said, smugly.

"You know as well as I do why I can't go by my real name anymore." She spoke quietly, doing her best to prevent any attention from any passerby's.

"Now it's my turn to ask you a question," Dorthey said bitterly, "What you want, Victor? Why are you here?"

She heard a 'flick' sound, she could picture the cigar he was surely lighting.

"It's simple," Sully said, before taking another puff of his cigar, "I need your help, Dorthey."

"Why me? Last I heard you picked up some other kid to drag along with you, Drake, was it?" She questioned, finally turning to look at the man.

"Nate's got his own abilities," Sully explained, "But not the kind I need right now."

"So, what is it?" Dorthey demanded, "What the job, I assume it's what you need help on, am I right?"

"I forgot how short of a temper you have," Sully muttered, "But you're right, I need your help hacking into the computer systems of this guy Taleon. Ever heard of him?"

"Yeah," She said, her voice finally calm, even a little intrigued, "He's some big CEO's only son, right?"

"That's the one," Sully said, pointing a figure at Dorthey, "Turns out he's lookin' for the same treasure I am in Cario."

"Cairo, as in Egypt?"

Sully chuckled then, "Is there any other Cairo, Kid?"

Dorthey thought for a moment, "And, I take it this job can't be done within the States, huh?"

"'Fraid not, Kiddo."

"What's in it for me?" She asked directly.

"Considering I'm flyin' solo on this one, how does fifty percent sound?"

"Holy shit," Dorthey exhaled, "Fifty percent, Sully? You must be desperate!"

Sully laughed again, his deep chuckle familiar to her ears.

"So, what do ya' say, Kid?" Sully asked, "Come on, be honest with yourself, you don't really like it here, do you?"

Dorthey allowed herself to do what she hated the most, she thought about herself truthfully. And if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't happy. In fact, she missed her old life, no matter how chaotic it was. She craved for the adventure, she needed it. And sitting back behind her old books wouldn't give her that.

So Dorthey did the one thing she never thought she would.

"You've got a deal, Victor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I know this is a bit of a slow start, but I promise I've got big ideas for this little story I've come up with. I hope you'll join me on the adventure of Dorthey Zara, and her "quest" of sorts with Mr. Sam Drake! I love the Uncharted Series, and absolutely adore Sam! I wanted to add to his story, but through the eyes of a hero of my own. Anyway, I love to know what you think, and again, I promise chapters going forward will be so much better!


	2. Leads & Lies

**Chapter 1: Leads & Lies**

_Seventeen years later…._

"Ms. Zara, how on Earth did you find us?"

Dorthey Zara, now a thirty-seven-year-old woman, circled the two thieves cautiously, her gaze never leaving theirs'."

"Simple. I just followed the scent of liars and assholes, and went from there."

"Funny, but that still doesn't explain it I'm afraid."

"Look here, Leon," Dorthey said, her voice utterly serious, "You have something I want, something I've spent months trying to find," She didn't hesitate to raise her pistol at the one called Leon, "Now, hand it over, and no one gets hurt."

Leon laughed a humorless laugh, pushing up his glasses.

"You see, Ms. Zara, I'm afraid I don't have what you're looking for."

"I find that extremely hard to believe."

"Well believe it!" Leon's sidekick, Mitch yelled, "We have nothing to hide."

"Yet here we are," Dorthey said with a snicker, "In the same underground tomb half-way across the world, looking for the exact same artifact."

"You want the tiara." Leon proclaimed.

Mitch looked at his partner with confusion, "What the hell are you doing?"

But Leon ignored him, instead keeping his eyes locked to Dorthey's green ones, "Should have figured a Zara would be after it."

Dorthey held his gaze, she never backed down when confronted, especially about her family.

"This had nothing to do with them," She stated firmly, "If you must know, this is just a job for me, one that I've been working on for over a year. I think my client deserves what they're paying for," She pushed her gun into Leon's forehead, cocking it back, "now, tell me where it is."

Leon smiled, "You're good, you know that? But I can see right through your tough-girl bullshit Zara, and you know what? It doesn't scare me."

Dorthey hated that smile on his face. It was a smile she had seen many times in her life, a smile she wanted to wipe off Leon's ugly face.

"Come one," Leon probed, "What are you waiting for? Do it bitch!"

Oh that was it.

Dorthey lowered her gun, "You're right, I'm not that kind of girl, I don't take lives. But I do have a habit of ruining them."

Dorthey kept her eyes on the men as she reached into her bag, pulling out her trusty laptop.

"What are you doing?" asked Mitch.

Dorthey gave the men a smile of her own, "I've been busy over the past year boys, not just with finding this tiara."

"What are you talking about?" Leon demanded.

"You see gentleman, I like to know my enemy, and right now, that's you. And over last few months, I've been doing my research on you two, and I know everything. I know the address of every house you've ever lived at, the account number to your bank accounts, even the ones in the Bahamas," She flashed them a grin at that remark, noticing their faces grow pale, "I also know your social security numbers, your alias, and most importantly, I've granted myself access to every record stored on your hard-drives. I know every client, every treasure, every place you've ever stolen from. And all I have to do is simply send all this information to every law enforcement agency who has a warrant on your ass, and then poof. There's not a single place you can hide from your past."

"You-you're not serious!" Mitch yelled at Dorthey, his voice shaking.

Dorthey's smile only grew, "Try me."

But Leon knew Dorthey wasn't kidding around. Few people in the line of treasure hunting had the technological skills she had. If you needed a hacker, Dorthey Zara was the best of the best.

"We have it, the tiara." Leon said, keeping his voice calm, collected.

Dorthey's smile fell from her face, "Where is it?"

Leon laughed, "Well, that's just it. We had the tiara, until these bastards stole it from us."

"So, you don't know where it is?" Dorthey questioned, a golden brow raised.

"You think the only people looking for the tiara of Anastasia Romanov are in this room?" Leon fired back, "There's more of us than you think, Ms. Zara."

Dorthey let that information sink in. She wasn't an idiot, she knew there would surely be others who too caught a whiff of the mysterious tiara of the long lost Grand Duchess Anastasia. But the fact that it was now in the hands of someone she didn't know of, that was a problem.

"Who took it from you?"

Mitch look up at her, "You think if we knew that we be sitting here?"

Done with Mitch's bull, Dorthey walked up to him, slamming her gun into the side of his head before kicking him in the stomach. It was only once he was in the fetal position, did Dorthey speak again.

"You're here, because I caught you, or did you forget that little detail?" Dorthey taunted.

"Look, Ms. Zara," Leon spoke, bring Dorthey's attention to him instead, "The man your looking for is Nikolai Petrov. Ever heard of him?"

"Yes," Dorthey said quietly, "I do."

"Then you know that he's not exactly a man to cross paths with." Leon continued further.

"Nikolai" The voice inside Dorthey's head rang, "Nikolai Petrov."

Dorthey force her mind to clamp down on those thoughts, "I wouldn't be too worried about me Leon, I'm a Zara."

"So, the daughter of one of the oldest, most noble families in Russia is going to go up against the powerful Nikolai Petrov?"

Dorthey's lip twitched slightly, "Yeah, that's right."

Turning away, Dorthey shoved her laptop into her back, throwing it over her shoulder. "Nikolai Petrov…." Dorthey though to herself, "It will be good to see you again."

"Well then fellas," Dorthey said, "This was fun and all, but I'm afraid I have a plane to catch."

"So," Mitch grumbled, clearly still in pain, "Does this mean we can forget about the whole 'sending our files to the feds' thing?"

Dorthey stopped at the door, craning her neck to look at the two men, "As long as you don't follow the tiara, yeah, consider it forgotten. But if you even try to even google the word tiara, you can expect a warrant out for your arrest in twenty-one countries. Understood?"

The two men nodded silently, causing Dorthey to smile.

"Well then, till next time gentlemen."

And with that, Dorthey Zara was ready to head out on her next journey. But first, she had a very important phone call to make.

It only took a few dial tones before, "Hello?"

"Sully, its me."

She could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, "Hey kid, how'd that lead of yours go?"

Dorthey sighed, "Turns out those idiots did have the tiara…. but…..."

"Let me guess, they don't anymore?"

"Yeah, but lucky for me, I know exactly who took it. And it just so happens this person is an old family friend."

"With your family, I can't tell if that's good or bad news." Sully said, chuckling to himself.

"True be told, I'm not sure either. It's been years since I spoke to him, but he was close to my grandfather and-"

"You were close to your grandfather so perhaps this 'friend' will have sympathy for you?"

"Yeah," Dorthey answered, "Well maybe, like I said it's been a while."

"Well kid, I'm guessing you didn't just to catch up."

Now it was Dorthey's turn to smile, "Not exactly."

"What do you need?"

"I need help. If I'm going to find the Romanov treasure, I need that tiara. And if I'm going to even attempt to try and get it from this individual, I'm going to need a lot more than my relationship with my grandfather."

"So, you need my help?"

"Yes," Dorthey confirmed, "But I was also hoping if you knew anyone else who was available to help. What about that Drake guy? What's he up to?"

"Nate?" Sully replied, "He's out of the game, retired. But there is someone else who could fill his shoes, but I must warn you, he's a little rough around the edges, and a bigger smart ass than Nate ever was."

"Smart-ass I can handle, but is he good at what he does?"

"No doubt about it."

"Who is it?" Dorthey asked.

"His brother, Sam Drake."


	3. The Other Drake

**Chapter 2:** **_The Other Drake_ **

Just shy of seventeen hours later, Dorthey finally arrived at her very expensive hotel room in Rio de Janeiro.

Being a member of one of the most prestigious families in all of Russia did have its benefits. The massive suite, located along the beachfront of Copacabana, was quite welcoming to Dorthey, especially after weeks of chasing down her last lead on the tiara. And even though that trail did not end with Dorthey finally getting her hands on the Romanov tiara, her next lead did seem to be her most promising yet.

Dropping her bags on the king-sized bed, Dorthey walked out to her balcony, taking in the beautiful view of the beach below her. She had been to Brazil only once before, during one of her first expeditions with Sully. During which, she only was able to see the airport of Rio before being swept away into the middle of the Amazon rainforest.

Dorthey smiled to herself, letting the memory flood her mind. She was only seventeen at the time, so young and edger to make her mark in the treasure hunting business. And after her years of training, she had finally managed to convince Sully to bring her along. And even now, years later, Dorthey still wanted to make her mark, and the Romanov treasure would be her greatest adventure of them all.

That is, if she could rely on Samuel Drake.

Dorthey sighed, taking one last glance at the beach before walking back inside her room. Looking at the clock it was already six pm. Sully had made reservations in the restaurant downstairs for the meeting between the three of them at nine. Jetlagged and sore, Dorthey went to the bathroom to run herself a bath.

Letting the water fill, Dorthey unpacked her laptop and began to work her magic. Checking her personal database, Dorthey pulled up her file on Samuel Drake. Having nothing else to do on her flight from St. Petersburg, Dorthey took the liberty of first-class wi-fi to check up on this mysterious other Drake brother.

Not much could be found on him, besides his basic driver's license, passport and other assorted records, the only other files Dorthey could find were prison records of him serving time and one mysterious looking Panamanian jail file. Besides that, it seemed like this Drake was a ghost, which was the opposite of his brother, Nathan.

"I'll know your secrets soon enough, Drake." Dorthey mumbled to herself as her shut her laptop before making her way to the bathtub.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Dorthey mumbled to herself as she finished weaving her long blonde hair into a simple braid.

After a much needed, soothing bath, Dorthey had settled down in front of her laptop once more to try and look into her lead on Nikolai Petrov. She had found numerous news articles about his successful business deals and other similar activities, but saw nothing that would lead her to the tiara of Anastasia Romanov.

Before she knew it, it was ten to nine, and Dorthey did her best to make herself look somewhat decent. She had thrown on a white sleeveless blouse, pairing it was a nicer pair of dark blue jeans. And now that she had finished her braid, Dorthey quickly pulled on a pair of short brown boots before rushing to the elevator and practically slamming her palm against the button.

After what felt like forever, the elevator doors finally opened. Dorthey walked out into the hotel lobby, smiling politely at people she passed by. Once she finally found the tiara, Dorthey decided she would come back to this place to spend some much needed down time.

Entering the restaurant, Dorthey walked over to the hostess's stand.

"Nome?" The woman asked Dorthey with a polite smile.

"Zara. Mas a reserva está sob Sullivan." Dorthey responded smoothly.

The woman looked over her list, smiling once she found the name.

"O Sr. Sullivan e seu amigo já estão aqui. Se você me seguisse."

Following the women, Dorthey took her time to scan around the restaurant. For the most part, it was filled with families with children who seemed happy, smiling and laughing with each other. Dorthey felt that twinge of jealousy in her chest then, but forced herself to ignore it as she continued following the hostess out to the patio.

Once outside, it didn't take long for Dorthey to hear that familiar gruff voice.

"There you are kid, I was starting to think you weren't going to show."

Looking at the corner of the room, there sat Sully, cigar in his hand, smiling at Dorthey.

"You wound me Sully. I would have thought you had more faith in me." Dorthey said smugly.

Thanking the hostess quietly, Dorthey walked up to a now standing Sully and gave him a hug.

"Its been a long time Sully." Dorthey said with a smile.

Pulling away, the both of them taking their seats, Sully managed a chuckle, "Too long, kid. You know, a call once in a while wouldn't be too much to ask for."

Dorthey laughed then, rolling her eyes before noticing something, rather  ** _someone_** , was missing.

Sully noticed her gaze at the empty seat across from her, "Sam went to the bar to get a drink, he'll be back shortly."

Dorthey nodded, wasting no time getting to business, "So what's the story with this guy. I couldn't find much in terms of recent events."

"I should have known you do your homework, you always were thorough. Anyway, fifteen years ago, Sam and Nathen went to look for leads on Avery's treasure in a Panamanian jail. Long story short, Sam ended up getting shot and was thought to be dead. It wasn't until a few months ago that we even knew he was alive."

Dorthey felt her green eyes grow wide, "Holy shit." She mumbled.

"That's an understatement. Anyway, Nate's out of the game, but Sam on the other hand, is just getting started."

"Ambitious?" Dorthey questioned.

Sully pondered for a moment, "I would say so, but he can be a bit reckless. A 'jump the gun' kind of guy. But he's good at what he does, and he won't leave a job unfinished."

"Don't forget, he's also incredibly smart and handsome."

Turning to the voice, Dorthey raised a single brow. The man, currently wearing a giant smirk on his face, had rich brown hair and matching brown eyes. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a plaid shirt with a plain white t-shirt beneath it. Dorthey let her eyes drift to his neck, where she spotted several birds tattooed in mid-flight.

"Samuel Drake, I presume?" Dorthey said, returning her gaze to Sully's.

"The one and only," Sam said as he sat across from Dorthey, a big grin still on his face, "and you are?"

"Sam, meet Dorthey Zara, she's an old friend of mine." Sully spoke, putting his cigar out in the ashtray on the table.

Dorthey continued to watch the Drake's movements, as he placed a cigarette between his teeth, then, reaching into his pocket to pull out a lighter.

"Of course, you would travel with another smoker." Dorthey exclaimed, rolling her eyes at the pair of them.

Sam chuckled then, which made Dorthey frown. What the hell was his deal?

"Zara huh? As in that rich Russian family?" He asked.

"Sam…" Sully warned.

"What?" Sam asked, his tone completely innocent, "It's just a simple question." He blew out a puff of smoke, and Dorthey watched his dark eyes find her green ones, "So, are you?"

Dorthey held his stare, resting her arms on the table, leaning in slightly closer to him as she spoke, "Does it matter?"

Sam shrugged, taking another drag of his cigarette, "Doesn't matter much to me, just curious is all. Although your refusal to answer the question suggests otherwise."

Dorthey narrowed her eyes at him. He wanted to play games, fine by her.

"There's nothing to be suggested," Dorthey responded, resting her back against the chair, "Zara is my family name, but that's about where my relations to them end. As far as I'm concerned, the only reason I even keep my name is to just annoy my mother."

Sam nodded, "Fair enough."

"Well then," Sully said, trying to get back into the conversation, "Now that Sam here has decided to join us, let's hear what you've got so far, Dot."

"Hold up," Sam mumbled, his cigarette muffling his speech, "Dot?" He questioned.

Dorthey groaned, giving Sully a rather annoyed look. Sully gave her a look of his own, as if to say, 'sorry, it just slipped'.

"Its just a stupid nickname," Dorthey said, hoping her face wasn't blushing, Dorthey Zara never blushed.

Once again, that damn smirk graced Sam's face, "I'll have to remember that one."

"Sam," Sully sighed. Dorthey had the suspicion that Sully had to deal with this sort of thing all too often.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said before waving a hand in Dorthey's direction, "I'm sorry. You were about to explain about this score of yours?"

It was all Dorthey could do not to grind her teeth together, "The tiara of Anastasia Romanov isn't just some score," Dorthey explained, "nor is the entire Romanov fortune."

That seemed to get the Drake's attention, "I thought the Bolshevik's had taken all their fortunes when they killed the Czar and his entire family."

Dorthey smiled, "Most of his family."

"What do you mean?"

It was Dorthey's turn to laugh, "I thought you would have more of an imagination, Sam Drake."

Sully chuckled, earning a dirty look from Sam, "Enlighten me."

"I'm sure you've heard the stories. The legendary accounts that the Grand Duchess Anastasia, and her brother Alexei, escaped their family's fate. That, together, they lived a secret life somewhere far away from the revolution happening in their homeland?"

Sam looked from Sully, to Dorthey, to Sully again, "You can't be serious?"

Sully and Dorthey glanced at each other, both of them finding Sam's reaction humorous.

"Oh, come on. Seriously? You're telling me you actually believe that Anastasia Romanov survived her family's murder, and what? Stole back her family's fortune over the course of her life, hiding it somewhere in, let me guess, Russia?"

"I hadn't gotten to that last part yet, but yes, something like that." Dorthey answered, smirking at Sam's dumbfound face.

Sam let out a shaky laugh, clearly still in disbelief, "Unbelievable."

"That's what I thought too," Sully said, "But you should really hear her out Sam, Dorthey's been doing this a long time. Hell, this is her Avery."

Dorthey was confused by his statement, "My Avery?"

"He means Henry Avery," Sam explained, "He was-"

"The famous English pirate?" Dorthey guessed.

"Yeah, that's right." Sam said, staring at Dorthey with an expression she couldn't quite place.

"Sam had a bit of an obsession-" Sully began.

"Strong interest." Sam corrected.

"Strong obsession," Sully continued, causing Sam to throw his arms up in discontent, "with finding the treasure of Henry Avery; it was something him and his brother, Nate, always dreamed of finding one day."

"And we totally did." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, before you and Nathen blew up the entire ship it was held on." Sully argued.

"That was Rafe and his men, and besides, I managed to walk away with my fair share."

"Okay guys," Dorthey interrupted, preventing their conversation from going any farther off than it already had, "I think I get the point. So, you were searching for Henry Avery since you were a kid?" Dorthey asked.

Sam shrugged, "You could say that."

Dorthey nodded, "Well then, I guess the mystery of Anastasia Romanov is my Avery after all."

Sam looked at her, waiting for Dorthey to continue.

"When I was growing up, my mother did her best to keep her distance from me, so I often spent time with one of the few people who rather enjoyed my company, my grandfather, Domenik Aleksandr Zara."

Dorthey watched as Sam's eyes went wide, "Historian, right?" Sam asked.

"That's right. For the most part, people knew him for his work in art history, but I knew his true passion. The mystery of the Romanov family was his obsession; few people knew about it, but my grandfather told me the stories, and once I was old enough, he began to bring me into his life's work, often asking me to help him in his research. Now that's he's gone, its up to me to finish what he started."

Sam seemed to be studying her then, his eyes searching her face for any signs of doubt. But she knew when his eyes met hers that he believed her, and perhaps, maybe even a little bit, sympathized with her.

"Okay Dorthey Zara," Sam said, "start from the beginning, and don't tell any detail slip by."

And so, Dorthey Zara began to explain the events that had expired throughout the past year.


	4. Wake Up Call

**Chapter 3:** **_Wake Up Call_ **

By the time Dorthey returned to her suite, it was all she could do just to walk over to the bed, only to fall face first into the freshly fluffed pillows.

Sam, Sully, and herself had talked in the restaurant about the Romanov treasure, as well as her various leads and theories, for so long that the manager had to come over and tell them they were closing. All the while, she was surprised to find that Sam Drake had actually paid attention to everything she said, even showing general interest at times.

Based on their initial conversation, Dorthey thought his doubts about the survival or Anastasia and Alexi Romanov would persist throughout their entire time together as business partners. Perhaps she had managed to convince him otherwise.

Dorthey shifted her position to get a better look at the clock on her nightstand. She groaned reading the time 1:05 AM. Despite that fact she had zero sleep from her last flight, Sully had said he would fly the three of them out of Rio at 9 AM, taking them back to Russia, back to Dorthey's lead.

Sitting up, Dorthey removed her shoes and pants, before curling up under the covers. Jetlagged or not, Dorthey often had trouble falling asleep, especially in the last year. Maybe it was the stress of remembering all her grandfather's research, or perhaps it was the added difficultly of rebuilding his research with the limited access she had to her Grandfather's study, as it was located in her family home, which just so happened to include the ice queen herself, Dorthey's mother, Tatiana.

Dorthey rolled over, as if she could move away from the thoughts of her mother. It had been months since she last spoke to her, two years since she had last seen her in person, and even that meeting had been a brief and cold one. At the time, Dorthey had just been happy her grandmother hadn't been present.

Dorthey sighed; she couldn't bare to even think of the widow, Deziree Zara. If her mother was the one to always rain on her parade, Dorthey's grandmother was a raging hurricane.

Dorthey groan again, rubbing her eyes and glanced at the clock. In dimly lit, red numbers, the time read 1:12 AM. At this rate, Dorthey didn't know if she could accomplish a simple hour or two of sleep.

But somehow, at some unspecified time later, Dorthey eyes shut, her mind free of her family, and feel into a dreamless sleep.

"Hey, time to get up."

Dorthey's eyes cracked open, the bright sunshine greeted her as it shined through the window of her hotel suite. Dorthey shut her eyes, smiling to herself. For the first time in a long time, she had managed to gain a night's worth of sleep. But her moment of glory was short lived.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Dorthey's eyes shot open, and her body reacted on its own. Twisting around, she grabbed the wrist of the intruder, griping it painfully as she flipped herself up, and on top of the intruder, her other hand around their throat and her knees holding down their legs.

It was at that moment she realized her intruder was none other than one Sam Drake.

"Sam?" Dorthey said in disbelief.

"Hey, there." Sam managed, his voice strained under the pressure of her grip on his vocal cords.

Immediately, Dorthey removed her grip on his wrist and neck, "What the hell are you doing here? How did you even get in my room?"

Dorthey watched Sam carefully as he leaned up on his elbows, his eyes looking around the room, "So this is what the private suite looks like."

"Sam." Dorthey warned, her voice growing tight.

Returning his gaze to hers, Sam seemed to recoil at her expression, "Hey don't blame me sweetheart, Sully sent me, its ten to nine and you have yet to show up downstairs in the lobby. Or did you forget about the flight this morning?"

Glancing at the dreaded clock, Dorthey saw that Sam was telling the truth.

"Ah, Dorthey?"

"What?" Dorthey asked, almost snarling at him.

"As much as I would love to lay here the rest of the day, do you mind, I think your starting to bruise my legs."

Dorthey remembered her current position, and the fact that she was basically straddling Sam. And looking down, she was horrified to remember that she wasn't wearing any pants.

In a hasty and rather awkward fashion, Dorthey removed herself from Sam and sat on the edge of her bed, throwing the blanket over her legs.

She wasn't looking at him, but Dorthey could actually feel Sam smirk from behind her.

"Didn't take you for the bashful kind." Sam muttered, as he moved to rest his back against the bed frame.

Dorthey forced herself not to growl at him, "How did you get in here?"

Sam reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigarette and placing it in his mouth, "You know, you should really lock your balcony doors at night."

Dorthey turned to him in disbelief, "You climbed my balcony!"

Sam didn't seem bothered by her anger, "Your room wasn't too far from ours," Sam explained, pulling out his lighter, "Simple enough climb for me."

Before he could even flick his lighter open, Dorthey reached and pulled the cigarette from Sam's mouth.

"You know I have more, right?"

"Yeah well, there's no smoking allowed in this room." Dorthey said, not bothering to hide the venom in her voice. She was beyond politeness at this point.

"Look," Sam began, moving to sit next to her on the end of the bed, "You're upset, I get it. But if you must know, I didn't exactly have any other choice."

Dorthey's brows pulled together, "What are you talking about."

Sam stared straighter ahead, "You do know that to get to the private suites one need to have a key for the private elevator?"

Dorthey felt her anger grow, not at Sam, but at herself. She had completely forgotten that little detail. But that wasn't enough for Dorthey to forgive him completely.

"That's still not an excuse for breaking into my room," Dorthey argued, "If were going to work together, you have to promise never to do that. No excuses, no exceptions."

Sam nodded, "Understandable."

"Good." Dorthey breathed out, her blood still boiling over the situation.

A moment passed before a small ringing echoed into the room. Reaching into his pocket, Sam pulled out a small flip phone, clearly for disposable use.

Pressing the green button, Sam place the phone next to his ear, "Yeah?"

She couldn't hear what was being said, but based on the tone of voice, Dorthey could tell it was Sully.

"Yeah, she's alive," Sam said, giving Dorthey a wink that made her fists clench, he really loved to push her.

"Oh," Sam said, chuckling, "the window."

Huffing, Dorthey tighten the sheet around her and stood before walking to the bathroom to take a much-needed shower. But as soon as her hand reached to handle, Sam spoke up.

"Whoa there, what do you think you're doing?"

Dorthey sighed, "Going to take a shower, since this in my hotel room after all."

"Yeah," Sam said into the phone, listening to Sully, "Okay."

Walking over, Sam held the phone out to Dorthey, "He wants to speak to you."

Taking the phone from him, Dorthey place the phone to her ear.

"Rough night kid?" Sully asked.

"Rougher morning," Dorthey answered, before moving to take the call in the bathroom, with the Drake brother in his room, Dorthey felt desperate for some sort of privacy.

"So, I've heard," Dorthey could hear the slight humor in his voice, "I suppose I should have told Sam to just call your room from the front desk."

"You think?" Dorthey said, a humorless laugh following her response, "For god's sake Sully, I wasn't wearing any pants"

"You weren't wearing pants?" Sully asked.

"No!" Dorthey exclaimed.

"Why the hell weren't you wearing pants?" Sully asked, his tone was serious, but Dorthey knew he was finding this whole situation rather funny.

"Because I was too lazy to change into pajamas!" Dorthey explained, "Look Sully, the point is that I could have killed him."

"Come on, Dorthey," Sully began, "That's not your style. Besides, I think Sam learned his lesson."

Dorthey rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't be so sure. In fact, he seems rather pleased with himself."

"Trust me, kid. If you really were close to killing Sam, then I think you've made your point. Sam may be one cocky son-of-a-bitch, but he knows when to back off."

Slowly, Dorthey felt her anger die down, leaving behind only a minor headache, "Okay, okay. I get it, its over and done with. The important thing now is the tiara."

"Speaking of the tiara," Sully began, "I need you and Sam to get down to the airport hangar ASAP."

"So, there's no possible way I could take a quick shower before then huh?"

"Fraid not, kid." Sully said.

Dorthey look towards the shower almost mournfully, "Alright, we'll be there soon."

Hanging up the phone, Dorthey walked over to retrieve the fluffy hotel robe from its hook. Securing it around her frame, Dorthey walked out to the main room again, finding Sam sitting at the desk, a leather-bound journal in his hands.

No, not just any journal, her journal.

"Ya' know, you could really give Nate a run for his money." Sam said, continuing to flip through the pages, "You might be better at sketching than he is."

"Be that as it may," Dorthey said as she walked over towards Sam, yanking the journal from his hands, "I would prefer it if you would ask before rummaging through my things."

Sam shrugged, "Didn't mean any harm by it. You got my phone? What Sully say?"

Returning him the phone, Dorthey answered, "He wants us to get down there as soon as possible."

"So…." Sam said, trailing off.

"So, I need you to wait out in the hall while I get my things ready."

A strange expression crossed Sam face, one that Dorthey couldn't place, "What for?"

"Because after the morning I've had so far, I could use some time to think some things over, if you don't mind."

Sam rose from his seat, "Don't mind at all," Dorthey watched him as he walked towards the door, "Just don't think too hard, Sully seemed ready to get out of here."

As he slammed the door, Dorthey had the feeling his comment wasn't actually about Sully, rather it was about her.

"You've looked better." Sully said in greeting, as he helped Dorthey into the plane.

"Nothing a shower could have fixed." Dorthey commented.

Sully chuckled, "Nice to see your sarcasm is still in tack. I was beginning to think you've grown out of it."

"Har har." Dorthey said, throwing her bag down next to her seat. Despite the morning she had, Dorthey had managed to pull herself together, throwing her messy blonde hair into an equally messy bun, slipping on a grey colored tank top, a pair of black jeans, and her brown hiking boots. She had shoved the rest of her belongings into her bag, before slipping on her brown leather jacket and meeting Sam in the hall. Besides the single brow he had raised at her as she exited her room, Sam hadn't so much as glanced at her the entire taxi ride to the hangar.

She didn't understand what his problem was, but Dorthey was still far too mad to ask.

"There you are, Sam." Sully said.

"Victor," Sam said, nodding at the older man before taking his own seat aboard the plane.

"Okay then," Sully said, noting the slightly awkward tension in the air. This was not exactly the best start for a treasure hunt, in fact, Sully thought it might be the grimmest one he had ever experienced.

"So where exactly are we heading?" Sully asked Dorthey.

"Well," Dorthey said, pulling out her journal, "As far as we know, Nikolai Petrov has current possession of the tiara of Anastasia. Petrov is a Russian diplomat to the French government, during the end of the summer, Petrov always takes a vacation with other members of the French government to Monaco. It's our best chance of finding him, as well as the tiara."

Sully nodded, "This Nikolai Petrov, how close was your relationship to him?"

Dorthey sighed, "To me, not very strong. He's a distant cousin to my grandmother. When she married my grandfather, Nikolai and him grew close. Perhaps closer than I knew, since he seems to have the tiara."

"No to mention enough knowledge of the Romanovs to track down the tiara to begin with." Sully pointed out.

"So, what you're saying is, we should be prepared for a fight." Sam said, finally speaking.

"As far as we know, Nikolai has no idea we're coming. Its best we keep it that way. Keep our heads down, and let me do the talking." Dorthey said.

"And we steal the tiara how?" Sam asked.

Dorthey pulled out her computer, pulling up her database file on Nikolai Petrov, "By my count we've got twelve hours to figure that one out."

Sam laughed nervously, "You're kidding."

When no one answered, Sam ran a hand through his hair, "Right, of course you're not. Fine, fine. I just want you to know, I would prefer it if we get out of this thing alive."

"Don't worry Sam, Dorthey's got a knack for last minute plans." Sully said.

"Hey," Dorthey spoke, "My plans haven't failed me yet."

"Yet..." Sam muttered, earning a glare from Dorthey.

"So, to Monaco?" Sully said.

Dorthey nodded, "To Monaco."


	5. The Search Begins

**Chapter 4:**   ** _The Search Begins_**

"This is a terrible plan."

Dorthey Zara turned, her eyes clashing with Sam's as she gave him a death glare.

"This is not a terrible plan," She stated, before returning her gaze out the window of their hotel room, "Besides, it's not like you made any effort to come up with something better."

"She's got you there, Sam." Sully agreed, before joining Dorthey at the window.

"Okay but, come on. She came up with this plan in, what, an hour into the flight over here? And then spent the rest of the flight sleeping."

Dorthey forced herself not to roll her eyes. Since arriving in Monaco, all Sam seemed to do was complain. She began to wonder if he was always like this, and if so, how the hell did Sully manage?

Dorthey didn't look at him when she responded, "You didn't seem to complain about it at the time. Besides, I know Nikolai Petrov. This is our best chance to get him to talk about the tiara."

"By sitting here and waiting for him to show?" Sam questioned, "I thought you knew he would be here."

"He will be here," Dorthey answered, "But we have to know under what circumstances."

Nikolai Petrov had come to Monaco with other members of the French government. Dorthey knew that this would make her seemingly 'chance' meeting with him near impossible, as Petrov would be accompanied by a decent amount of government security. If Dorthey wanted to get Petrov to talk about the Romanov family, as well as any information about her grandfather's research, they would have to wait for the perfect opportunity.

For the past two hours, Dorthey had perched herself against the window of their room in the famous Hôtel de Paris, across from the even more infamous Monte-Carlo Casino. This is where Petrov would be. Dorthey recalled a conversation she had heard during a family dinner back at her family estate in Russia, when Petrov had come over to visit the Zara's during the holidays. Dorthey remembered Nikolai insisting that her grandfather, Domenik, join him at his favorite roulette table in Monte-Carlo.

" _I could you some of that 'Zara luck'._ " Nikolai had said, earning a chuckle from Dorthey's grandfather.

" _Alas, I'm afraid I am too busy with my work to even think about taking a vacation. But if its luck you need, let me give you some advice._ "

Dorthey remembered her grandfather smiling then, a clever grin that she herself had managed to inherit.

" _You know why Zara's are so lucky?_ " Her grandfather asked, " _It is because we don't gamble; life can be very risky, my friend. Each decision you make must be done with critical thought and upmost care. That's how I've made my luck, and I must say, I have never been disappointed with the results._ "

Dorthey smiled at the thought; she didn't think much of that conversation then, but now she took her grandfather's words to heart. Dorthey found that, in her line of work, everyone got a certain number of risks you could take. So far, Dorthey had managed to avoid such scenarios, preferring to take jobs that were behind the scenes and in her control. She didn't become one of the best hackers in the business over night; years and years of doing dirty work for all types of persons, making her mark, without leaving a signal trace. But since she began her research into the Romanov family, Dorthey knew that her days of risk-free jobs were over. If she was going to live a life of adventure, it was time to stop finding behind a screen.

Suddenly, a line of black cars pulled up in front of the casino, which Dorthey found remarkable, considering the casino was already so busy, and most cars were told not to park anywhere near the front.

Dorthey's eyes lit up as the front car's door opened, revealing a well-dressed man who looked to be in his late sixties, grey hair combed back, his face, grim at first, but smiled once out of the car.

"Nikolai Petrov." Dorthey said, speaking quietly.

"You see him?" Sam asked, rising from the chair in the corner of the room.

"Yes, he's here. Just like I said."

"Well then," Sully began, trying to make room as Sam squeezed in, doing his best to get a look out the small window, "What are we looking at? How many guards does this Petrov guy have?"

Dorthey raised a small pair of binoculars to her eyes, scanning as others began to emerge from the cars below.

"From the looks of it, each of the government employees has two guards at for themselves."

Sam scoffed, "That's it? Well, that's not so bad, right?"

Dorthey considered this. It wasn't an unusual number, especially considering the amount of security provided within the casino itself.

Reaching over, Sam picked up the binoculars, taking a look at the man for himself.

"That's Nikolai Petrov," Sam began, his tone unimpressed, "He doesn't look like much of a threat to me."

Dorthey gave Sam a sharp look, "Nikolai Petrov isn't a man to take likely."

Sam raised a brown at her then, "Really? Because to me, he look like a regular old man. Look for yourself, does that look like a man who could attack us, let alone be some high-class treasure hunter?"

Dorthey looked out the window again, a suddenly, she began to see what Sam was talking about.

"What the…" Dorthey pulled the binoculars out of the Drake brother's hands and back to her line of sight, her eyes widened as Nikolai struggled to walk up the stairs, a cane in his hand.

"What is it?" Sully asked, concern on his face.

Dorthey looked up at him, confusion clouding her mind, "That doesn't make any since." She said, shaking her head.

"That's Petrov down there, right?" Sam asked.

Dorthey nodded, "It is. But he's not what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Sully said, trying to get a handle on the situation.

"It's just," Dorthey sighed, "Last I heard, Nikolai Petrov was in perfect health, both physically and mentally. This is a man who managed to find, and steal, the tiara of Anastasia Romanov. Look for yourself," Dorthey urged, passing the binoculars to Sully, "That man down there, he isn't the Nikolai Petrov I remember."

Sully looked out the window, "Well, exactly how long has it been since you last saw him, Dorthey? Perhaps Nikolai Petrov has changed, old age does that to a person you know."

Sam smiled then, about to make a joke, until Sully cut him off.

"You just keep quiet." Sully warned, as Sam chuckled.

"What?" Sam asked innocently, "I was going to say I agree with you, after all, you would know a thing or two about old age. Personal experience and all."

Dorthey rolled her eyes at the two of them, "Whatever the reason, I just think we need to be extra careful. This doesn't change anything, we stick to the plan."

Rising from her seat by the window, Dorthey walked over to the small wooden desk, opening her computer, "First things first, we need to blend in."

Sam nodded, "What did you have in mind?"

Dorthey smiled wickedly.

Almost two hours later, Dorthey had finally managed to make herself presentable. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she began to look herself over.

She was dressed in a simple long black dress, which she had ordered from a local boutiques website and had it delivered to the hotel in a matter of minutes. The dress was elegant; a slit running just off center, exposing Dorthey's left leg as she walked. The sleeves of the dress stopped just before her wrists, allowing Dorthey to where her favorite gold-colored watch.

The dress was the easy part; Dorthey had spent a majority of her time on her hair and makeup. After curling her hair, Dorthey made sure to pin half of it up, allowing the rest to flow down her back. For her makeup, she decided on a dark shade of red lipstick, pairing it with a wing tip look for her eyes.

Satisfied with her appearance, Dorthey to put her stuff away, only to be intrupted by a knock on the door. She already knew who it was before they spoke.

"You done in there, some of us have to pee." Sam said, shouting from behind the bathroom door.

"Real classy, Sam." Dorthey responded sarcastically, before pulling the door open.

Face to face with him, Dorthey watched as Sam's mouth open, as if he were ready to say some sort of comeback.

To her surprise, the Drake brother remained silent.

It was fast, but Dorthey didn't miss the way his eyes seemed to linger on her, looking at her from head to toe.

"Don't you have to pee?" Dorthey said as she walked around Sam, leaving him in front of the bathroom door.

Sam blinked, returning to reality, "Yeah, right."

She didn't turn to look, but Dorthey could have sworn she felt Sam's gaze return to her for a few seconds more, until she heard the faint 'click' of the bathroom door.

"You clean up nice, kid."

Turning, Dorthey found Sully dressed to the nines in an all-black tuxedo, one she had picked out herself, ordered from the same place as her dress.

Dorthey smiled at Sully fondly, "You don't look so bad yourself, Sully."

Sully chuckled, "Who would have thought we be working together again."

"Oh, I don't know," Dorthey said, sitting on the bed to put on a pair of black heels, "I never put the possibility out of my mind."

"Really?" Sully said, a warm smile on his face, "For a while there you went pretty cold on me."

"I did," Dorthey admitted, "But even then, I knew I couldn't ignore you forever. You were there for me when no one else gave a damn about me, Sully. For that, I am always grateful."

Looking at Sully now, Dorthey saw the warmth and love in his gaze. She smiled back at him. In that moment, the two thieves accepting how much the other meant to them.

"Don't get soft on me, Dot." Sully said, causing Dorthey to laugh.

"Never." She promised, standing up.

The bathroom door opened then, Sam walking out to join the others. While Dorthey and Sully were dressed for the Casino, Sam on the other hand had yet to change out of the tacky Hawaiian shirt and jeans he had worn on the plane over.

"Okay," Sam said, clapping his hands together, "You're going to have to run this plan by me again. Why am I not coming with you guys?"

Dorthey sighed, this was exactly the forth time she had to explain this to him.

"Because Sam," She began, "Your job is to keep watch from the outside of the casino to give us a heads up on anything unusual."

Sam gave Dorthey a deadpan look, "You think I'm gonna screw this up, don't you?"

Dorthey crossed her arms, "That's not what I said."

"But that's what you meant."

"Sam-" Sully cautioned.

"Look," Dorthey said, not backing down, "This part of the job is highly sensitive. Out of the three of us, I'm the only one who actually knows Nikolai Petrov, the  **real**  Nikolai Petrov. He's not just some 'old man'. Now I don't know what that whole scene was out there, but if I had to guess, I say it was an act."

"Okay, okay," Sam said, nodding, "But that doesn't explain why I'm not going with the two of you."

Dorthey groaned, she was starting to get a headache.

"You don't trust me, do you?" Sam guessed.

Glancing at Sully for help, Dorthey was met with a look that said, 'You're on your own on this one'.

Turning back to Sam, Dorthey found she was done with bullshitting, "Your right. I don't trust you, at least not with this job. Nothing I've heard or read about you should suggest otherwise."

Sam brows shot up, "You read about me?"

Dorthey put her hands on her hips. The last thing she needed was to boost Sam's ego.

"Don't flatter yourself, I always run a background check on those I work with. You are not the first, Sam Drake. And you certainly won't be the last."

A small smile graced Sam's face, although there was nothing friendly behind it, "Background check, huh? You seem to have some trust issues, Miss Zara. So, you agree to work with me, yet you refuse to actually let me do anything."

It was a statement, not a question. Dorthey could hear something in his voice. Disappointment, perhaps?

Dorthey grit her teeth together, "What I need you to do, is to stay here, keep an eye on the casino, and maintain contact with us at all times. If we need any kind of back up, we will call you in. But until then, you will stick to the plan. Alright?"

Sam's eyes seemed to burn into hers. Dorthey knew he was pissed, but at the moment, she could care less. If this plan was going to work, she needed him to follow through on his part.

"Fine." Sam said, speaking through his teeth.

Dorthey let out a breath, "Now, shall we begin?"

Walking up the stairs to the Monte-Carlo Casino, Dorthey couldn't help but let her mind trail back to her earlier argument with Sam. But one part of the conversation seemed to repeat itself over and over in her mind.

_"_ _You seem to have some trust issues, Miss Zara."_

Trust issues? Growing up, Dorthey had the opposite problem. When her mother had sent her off to school in the states, Dorthey found herself constantly attaching herself to people she couldn't rely on. Teachers, peers, boyfriends, it didn't matter. All of them seemed to fail her. And after the death of her grandfather, Dorthey's problem was all the worst. It wasn't until Sully, that she felt like someone had her back. When she had agreed to join him on the Amazon forest expedition, Victor Sullivan had become something Dorthey never had in her life, a father-figure. And for that, Dorthey felt like she owed him. It was a ridiculous thing, but over the years, she couldn't shake that feeling to repay him.

At the entrance, a young man, a doorman, opened the door for her and Sully.

"Bienvenue, Mademoiselle; Monsieur." He said, nodding in recognition to Sully.

Dorthey flashed the doorman a dazzling smile; a little flattery went a long way here.

Once inside, Dorthey had to catch her breath at the scene around her. The Monte Carlo Casino was truly beautiful. For a moment, she was disappointed her grandfather never took her and her family here on vacation. Everything seemed to just scream 'money', and lots of it. From the marble floors, to the crystal chandeliers, to the people inside wearing the best of the best.

Suddenly, a voice in her ear broke her from her thoughts.

_"_ _I see you two made it in alright, not that that's what I'm support to be looking for."_

Dorthey and Sully glanced at each other. It seemed that it would be a while before Sam was no longer bitter about his position.

Thankfully, Sully responded.

"We're all good here, Sam. You just keep an eye out for anything this Petrov guy might throw our way."

A pause, and then,  _"Sure thing."_

Dorthey relaxed. Despite his attitude towards the situation, Dorthey was happy to know that Sam was still willing to do his part to help them out. Perhaps he was more trustworthy than Dorthey had given him credit for.

No, she couldn't change her mind now. What's done is done. This was the plan, it was the best plan, they had to stick to it.

"We need to blend in," Dorthey said, making sure to keep her voice down so that only Sully would hear her, "Petrov likes to bet on the roulette tables, I need you to go in there first, check and see if he's there. We can't be seen together from here on out, if he sees us together, they'll be questions. And questions lead to problems."

And any questions about her, would led right back to Dorthey's mother. If her mother knew what she was doing, there'd be hell to pay.

"Alright, you give me a heads up if anything gets hinky."

Dorthey smiled at his word of choice, "Hinky, right, got it."

With that, Sully walked away, leaving Dorthey to navigate the casino herself.

Dorthey walked through a few rooms, some were filled with shot machines of all kinds. The various noises ranging from celebration to utter defeat. Another room, one that was much quieter, consisted of older gentlemen playing various card games. The entire atmosphere was almost enough to make Dorthey want to put her head down and run.

Finally, Dorthey found the room her was looking for, the bar.

"Pardonnez-moi monsieur." Dorthey said, smiling at the man behind the counter, "Pourrais-je te déranger pour un gin tonic?"

The bartender nodded, beginning to make her drink.

_"_ _Gin and tonic? I thought you Russians only liked to drink vodka."_

Dorthey didn't respond as she accepted her drink from the bartender. Walking away, she finally answered Sam.

"You Americans do like your stereotypes, don't you?"

It might have been static in their connection, but Dorthey could swear she could hear his laugh.

 _"_ _Didn't you go to school in the United States?"_  Sam asked, is tone seemed generally curious.

"Where did you hear that?" Dorthey asked, smiling at those she passed, concerned looks on their faces.

 _"_ _Sully,"_  Sam answered,  _"I mean, it makes sense. The school thing I mean. You barely have a Russian accent, although, it does slip at times."_

He got her there. When Dorthey had first gone to school in the States, she found herself being teased by her classmates for sounding different. They would imitate her voice, saying things that sounded funny to them in her tone of voice. So, in way of revenge, Dorthey would listen to their conversations, learning how the other kids spoke. After a while, Dorthey could immediate her entire class to almost perfection. Later on, she used this talent in attempt to fit in. And after a while, her 'new accent' had stuck with her. But at times, Dorthey's voice would drift back to its origin.

Dorthey took a slip of her drink, "You seem to be in a better mood, what changed Sam?"

_"_ _Oh, I still think it would have been better to bring me along, Dot. No, I decided if I was going to be stuck back at basecamp, I might as well annoy you by constantly being the voice inside your head."_

Dorthey rolled her eyes as she walked through another slot machine room, "First of all, don't call me Dot. And secondly, you really should keep quiet. I'm waiting for Sully to tell me where Petrov is."

 _"_ _Wait,"_ Sam said,  _"You're not looking for him yourself?"_

Dorthey stopped in her tracks, almost causing an elderly couple behind her to bump into her. She quietly apologized to them, before walking away, hopefully to a place where she wouldn't cause a scene.

"Were you even listening to me earlier, when I was explaining the plan?" She hissed.

_"_ _I'm not gonna lie Dot, I kinda zoned out once you said I was staying behind."_

Dorthey clenched her glass so tight, she thought she might actually crush it in her grasp, "Unbelievable."

Suddenly, another voice sounded in Dorthey's ear.

_"_ _Kid? Dorthey, you there?"_

Dorthey's entire body straightened, tension building within her, "Sully? What is it, have you found him?"

_"_ _Bad news, Dorthey. Petrov isn't in any of the roulette rooms."_

Dorthey felt her mouth drop, "What? Are you certain? Sully, did you check every table?"

 _"_ _Every last one."_ Sully answered, making Dorthey's stomach drop.

No, no, no. This could not be happening, Dorthey Zara was not about to lose another lead.

"Meet me back up front," Dorthey said, already on the move, "We'll rendezvous there."

_"_ _Understood."_

It wasn't long before Sam spoke again.

_"_ _You guys good?"_

Dorthey rounded a corner, carful not to look like she wasn't in as big of a hurry as she was, "Yeah, were fine. Unfortunately, Sully just informed me that there is no sign of Petrov."

She could hear the shock in Sam's voice,  _"Son of a bitch. Well, what's the plan now, Dot?"_

Dorthey didn't hide her groan this time, "No idea, and for the last time, stop calling me that."

This time she definitely heard Sam's laugh,  _"No promises."_

Dorthey was just about to respond, ready to give Sam a piece of her mind, when she heard the unthinkable.

"Dorthea?"

Dorthey stopped cold. The world around her seemed to freeze with her. And then:

"Dorthea?"

There it was again. Her given name. The name her mother called her by, the name of her past. There was only so many people who knew her by that name.

Slowly, Dorthey turned, her eyes widening at what stood behind her.

There, in the middle of the casino, no where near the roulette tables, stood a one, Mr. Nikolai Petrov, smiling at her in a friendly demeaner.

Dorthey silently cursed herself, she should have been ready for this, ready for the unexpected. She had never been good when it came to gambling. Betting on good odds was a foolish thing.

Dorthey forced herself to smile, "Mr. Petrov, long time no see."

The old name smiled back, small crinkles forming in the corner of his eyes.

"As I live and breathe, Dorthea Zara. What has it been? Twenty years?"

Dorthey gave him a small laugh, walking a bit closer, "Something like that. Its good to see you again. My grandfather always considered you a close friend."

At the mention of her grandfather, Petrov's face gloomed a bit, "Domenik was truly something else. I miss him every day, as I'm sure you do, Dorthea."

Dorthey watched Petrov's face, she noticed something in his eyes twinkle, a question.

"I must say I am shock to see you here. I thought Zara's weren't a fan of casinos."

Smiling politely, Dorthey responded, "Well, as you certainly know, I was always considered the black sheep of my family. Actually, you could say I'm here because of you."

"Really?" That certainly caught his attention, "How so?"

"You once spoke of this place to my grandfather. The way you talked about it, how much fun you made it sound. Well, I thought I just have to go and experience it myself."

Petrov chuckled, "Well then, I suppose this cause of a celebration of sorts, as I have finally done the impossible."

"And what might that be?" Dorthey asked, maintaining her smile.

"I have gotten a Zara to come to Monte-Carlo." Petrov chuckled at his own joke then, "A small miracle wouldn't you say, Dorthea?"

Dorthey opened her mouth to respond, when another voice caught her attention.

_"_ _Dorthey? I'm at the front, where the hell are you?"_

Sully.

"Dorthea?" Petrov said, getting her attention once more, "Are you well?"

Dorthey forced herself to ignore Sully, instead nodding at Nikolai.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I guess its just a bit noisy in here." Dorthey answered, gesturing to the crowded room around them.

"Ah, yes," Petrov agreed, "I myself have found that over the years, this place has become impossible to have a conversation in, let alone gamble. Perhaps, if you would like, you could accompany me to meet with my colleges to our private party room in the back. I was just heading there now, in fact."

Dorthey felt her heart rate go up, this was it. This was her chance; this was her risk.

Dorthey smiled brighter, "It would be my honor, Mr. Petrov."

Linking her arm in his, Dorthey walked with Nikolai, his pace slow from the use of his cane.

As they walked, Dorthey tried to listen to what Nikolai was saying to her, but she found it near impossible as Sam had begun to speak to her.

_"_ _Dot? Look, if this is some kind of a joke its not funny. Sully's worried. If your okay, just say something. Dot? Dorthey?"_

"Are you sure you are alright?" Petrov had asked, noticing Dorthey's lack of respond.

Dorthey nodded, "Nothing a drink can't fix."

_"_ _Dot, listen to me-"_

But she didn't let Sam finish his thought. Without any hesitation, Dorthey pulled her ear piece out and tossed it into the nearest potted plant. She couldn't be distracted now, this was it. She was beginning a game of chance, and she did not attend to lose.


	6. A Game of Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to all my lovely readers! I love to know what you think so don't be afraid to leave a comment. Now on with the story!

“Dot? Dot, you there? Dorthey? Son of a bitch.”

               The thief clenched his hands at his sides. Sam had hated this plan the moment he’d heard about it. It was bad enough that he had been ‘benched’, forced to stay behind and act as some sort of guard dog. Untrustworthy, that’s what the Zara girl thought of him. Sam was very good at reading people, always had been since he was a kid; it was a skill that had allowed him to get out of hundreds of bad situations.

               But now, as he paced around the hotel room, Sam Drake felt helpless. He shouldn’t have listened to her, he should have trusted his judgement.

               “ _Sam?_ ”

               He stopped then, immediately replying.

               “Victor?” He asked, “What the hell’s going on in there? Dorthey’s not answering me.”

               “ _Me neither,_ ” Sully sighed, “ _I don’t know what happened, this isn’t like her to do this._ ”

               Sam had thought that too. Ever since he had met Dorthey, Sam had thought she was a very grounded person, one who operated on a strict set of principles. If she decided to change the plan, there had to be something significant for her to do so.

               Sam couldn’t sit around a second longer. Picking up his copy of the room key, Sam practically ran to the elevator.

               “Victor listen, I’m heading out now. I’ll go get a suit from some shop down the street, and then I’ll meet you inside.”

               “ _What?_ ” Sully gasped, “ _Sam stop and think for a damn minute. We need to be careful-_ ”

               “I have been thinking, I’m done sitting around, Victor.” Sam said, bashing his hand against the call button, “Dammit!”

               “ _Look Sam, I know this isn’t our typical kind of job. But Dorthey knows what she’s doing. We need to trust her judgment here._ ”

               With a soft ‘ding’, Sam forced his body through the elevator doors, hitting the ground floor button in an instant.

               “Look Victor, I realize I don’t know Dot- _Dorthey_ , as well as you do. But I know how this game works, and something about this isn’t right. And deep down, you know it too.”

Sully’s lack of response only furthered Sam’s argument.

               The elevator doors opened once more, and Sam rushed out of them immediately. He didn’t apologize when he bumped into a rather confused looking couple on the way out.

               “Look, I’m walking out of the hotel now. Give me a heads up if anything else goes horribly wrong.”

               Sam could hear Sully sigh, “ _Dorthey’s not going to like this._ ”

               A trace of a smile fell onto Sam’s face, “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

*****************

               “Another drink, Miss?”

               Dorthey looked up at the waiter who was questioning her. The young man looking at Dorthey was cute, with his dark hair and blue eye combo. He was too young for Dorthey’s liking, but the smile he gave her was a nice distraction from Dorthey’s current reality.

               Nodding, Dorthey sat back as the waiter picked up her glass, taking it to the bar to refill it.

               Nikolai Petrov had brought Dorthey back to the private party room used by him and his colleagues each year. The room itself was smaller than Dorthey expected; sealed behind closed doors, the room consisted of a large gambling table, currently set up to play roulette, as well as a small bar located on the opposite end of the room. When they first entered, the room had been quiet, too quiet for Dorthey’s liking. Five other men, all of whom were dressed in black suits, looked up at Petrov, and the woman that joined him.

               Petrov had introduced her to each of them, stating that Dorthey was an old friend from Russia. Each of the men had nodded in greeting, to which Dorthey responded to with a polite smile.

               Before she knew it, Dorthey was sat between Petrov, and a man whom she learned was called Oscar Daniel, the youngest member of their party who worked within Ministry of Culture of France. Other than Petrov and, occasionally, the waiter, Mr. Daniel was the only other person who bothered to speak to Dorthey.

               A small round of quiet cheers went around the room, as one of the men had just won another round.

               “I take it you’re not much of a gambler, Miss Dorthea?”

               Dorthey looked up, meeting Mr. Daniel’s questioning gaze. In a short amount of time, she had almost gotten used to hearing her given name. So quickly in fact, that it terrified her.

               “Don’t you remember, Oscar?” Petrov said, butting into the conversation, “Dorthea here is a Zara! Zara’s never gamble. Why, I remember this time when Domenik talked about…”

               Dorthey let herself tune out of the conversation. A habit of hers that occurred whenever someone talked about her family.

               When she had first heard news of her grandfather’s death, Dorthey expected to feel angry, sorrow, a painful feeling of some kind; instead, she found herself numbed by the news. She was only thirteen then, a few months from turning fourteen. Dorthey had been in school, studying for her upcoming final exams when it happened. Her mother had called her in the morning, just before her first class, sending Dorthey on a downward spiral.

               The entire plane ride home had been unusually calm. Dorthey didn’t cry once, not until the day of the funeral, when she laid eyes on the only real family she ever had, did she first wept.

               “Your gin and tonic, miss?”

               Blinking a few times, Dorthey quickly gathered her thoughts as she peered up at the waiter once more.

               “Merci beaucoup.” Dorthey replied, taking her glass from the young man.

               “I see you still have a knack for language, Dorthea.” Petrov observed, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

               Dorthey recognized this look of his, it was the very same look he wore when he was gambling. A cold, calm, but calculated expression Petrov would don when he was trying to concentrate on something. For the first time since their meeting in Monaco, did Dorthey finally see a glimpse at the precise and insightful man she knew.

               And so, Dorthey gave Petrov a graceful smile, “You are too kind, Mr. Petrov.”

               Nikolai scoffed, waving a hand at Dorthey dismissively, “And you’re too harsh on yourself, Dorthea. Vous parlez magnifiquement le français.”

               Dorthey returned a laugh, before taking a quick sip of her drink. She was beginning to fall into the same routine she played when she spent time with her family; faking her joy and content came naturally to Dorthey. On the plus side, her skills in ‘acting’ helped her tremendously in her work.

               Another small cry of celebration echoed in the room, apparently someone won their bet.

               The men murmured to each other, all seemingly distracted, Dorthey took this time to make her next move.

               “Mr. Petrov, I-”

               “Please Dorthea, call me Nikolai.”

               _Alright then_ , Dorthey thought, “If you don’t mind, Nikolai, I was hoping I could ask you about something, if that’s alright?”

               Nikolai raised a brow in question, “Of course, what about?”

               Dorthey opened her mouth to answer, but paused, looking at those around her. This wasn’t a conversation for everyone’s ears.

               “Это личный вопрос, не так ли?” Nikolai said, responding to her expression.

               Dorthey nodded; _personal question indeed_. Following him, Dorthey easily shifted into her native tongue.

               “I was hoping I could ask you about my grandfather, specifically his work.” Dorthey stated.

               This got Nikolai’s attention, “His art curating?”

               Dorthey shook her head, “No, his…. _other work_.”

               Something flickered in Nikolai’s eye, “I see. You wish to know about his family research.”

               That wasn’t the answer Dorthey expected, “Family research?”

               Nikolai nodded, “You reference his work in researching the Zara family’s ties to house Romanov?”

               Dorthey maintained her best poker face, keeping eye contact with Nikolai. Any sort of information he gave her was a start.

               Dorthey’s lips curled on command, “Of course. As you know my relationship with my mother isn’t…. close. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to see my grandfather’s work to its full extent. I was hoping you might be able to fill me in on what you may know.”

               Nikolai sighed a bit, “I’m afraid I’m as is the dark as you, Dorthea. Since Domenik’s death, I haven’t spent much time in Russia, only when work demands it. In fact, my permanent residence in now in Paris.”

               “You sold your family home?” Dorthey said in disbelief.

               A sad smile fell on Nikolai’s face, “I did. A hard decision, I’m afraid. But one that had to be made. I had to be realistic, I’m getting older, I’ve never married, have no one to inherit that house.” He shook his head, “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

               Looking at him now, Dorthey was reminded how close this man was to her family. Nikolai had been in her life for almost as long as her grandfather. Dorthey could remember the Petrov manor even now. It was smaller than her family home, quainter and in the countryside, just down the road from her family’s summer home. Unlike her home, the Petrov manor somehow felt more alive, happy.

               Dorthey allowed herself to sympathize with Nikolai, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

               Nikolai waved a hand, dismissing her apology, “Not to worry, Dorthea. It was I who spoke off topic.”

               Nikolai gave Dorthey’s hand a reassuring pat before continuing.

               “Your grandfather first spoke of his research to me about, let me see, around thirty-two years ago? Yes, that seems about right. Anyway, Domenik informed me that he discovered a letter from Maria Feodorovna.”

               “Maria Feoforovna?” Dorthey exclaimed, holding back her gasp, “As in the Empress of Russia and mother to Czar Nicholas II?”

               “The one and only.” Nikolai confirmed.

               Dorthey felt dizzy, she knew of her grandfather’s obsession with the Romanov family, but until now she had no clue of its origins.

               “What did it say, the letter?”

               Nikolai had a small smile then, “It was more of an invitation of sorts, for a party held by the Empress, addressed to the Zara family. Domenik began to look more closely and discovered that his family, **your** family, had close ties to the Romanovs.”

               Incredible, absolutely incredible. It was the only word Dorthey thought that could perfectly describe the information she just heard. After her grandfather’s death, he had left Dorthey a letter explaining his suspicions about the survival of Anastasia, the importance of her tiara, and giving her the hint at the possibility of a secret fortune left behind.

               If she were to close her eyes, Dorthey could still see her grandfather’s exact words:

               _The tiara is the key, Dorthea. Find the tiara, keep it safe. Do this for me._

               The more Dorthey thought about it, the more it made sense. Her grandfather’s obsession, keeping his work locked away in his private office, the little stories about the Romanov family he would share with her, all in preparation for her ultimate adventure her grandfather passed down to her.

               This was her purpose. Dorthey wouldn’t let her grandfather down; the tiara would be hers.

***********************

               “I’m not even going to ask.”

               Sam chuckled as he approached Sully; the thief had managed to find a rather nice suit that was dark blue in color. However, that fact that Sam actually got away with stealing a suit that was worth more than every piece of clothing he’d ever own, was a miracle in itself.

               Taking his place besides Sully, Sam flashed him a smug smile.

               “You’re not even the least bit curious?”

               Sully rolled his eyes, “I’m sure it’s a very interesting story, Sam. Unfortunately, we have bigger fish to fry here.”

               Sam nodded, taking a glance at his surroundings. He allowed his eyes to trail amongst the many people, taking extra note of anyone with golden hair in the crowd.

               “How long has it been exactly, since we’ve lost contact with her?” Sam asked.

               “About an hour or so,” Sully sighed, shaking his head, “I’m getting a bad feeling about this, Sam. What the hell was Dorthey thinking?”

               Sam, in an attempt to comfort his friend, patted Sully on the shoulder.

               “You know her better than I do, Victor. What do you think?”

               Sully pondered for a moment, his brows pulling close together as a frown formed on his face.

               “Dorthey doesn’t like to play games. There’s a reason she preferred to hang back on most jobs I gave her, acting as a third party of sorts. While she’s willing to take risks, there must be an important reason for her to do so. She’s clever, Sam.”

               “I have no doubt about that, Victor.” Sam admitted, “But what’s the plan now? I’m hoping you’re not insisting we just stand here and wait.”

               Sam waited for Sully to agree with him, but his silence is defining.

               “No. No, no way.”

               “Sam-” Sully began.

               Sam shook his head, “What is with you two? God, you actually want to wait for the possibility that Dorthey comes back and, what? Tiara in hand?”

               “Sam listen to me, I know Dorthey better than you do, you said so yourself. And what she would want is for us to wait for her word.”

               Sam let out a humorless laugh, “Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Victor.”

               With that, Sam began to walk away from Sully. That is, until Sully grabbed his arm.

               Turning, Sam raised a brow at Sully, “Care to join me?”

               Sully took a deep breath, “Nothing I say is going to stop you, huh?”

               Sam shook his head.

               Releasing the hold on Sam’s arm, Sully cursed quietly.

               “Shit. Alright Sam, we’ll do it your way.”

               Sam smiled, facing forward, “It’s about goddamn time.”

***********************

               Sometime later, Dorthey began to wonder where this whole thing was going.

               She and Nikolai had stopped taking about her grandfather some time ago, and yet here she was, still sat at the roulette table with a man after the same artifact as her.

               She couldn’t figure out what her next move should be. She didn’t want to leave abruptly, as it may look strange. But the longer she sat there, the more worried she became about Sully and Sam, whom she had shut out, leaving them in the dark.

               Dorthey curses herself silently. It was a dumb move on her part; Dorthey could only begin to imagine how furious Sully would be with her when she reunited with him. As for Sam, she was sure he’d find some way to push her buttons about this later.

               It was then a young woman, who Dorthey guess was a waiter based on her attire, walk over and spoke softly to Nikolai. Since she sat right next to him, Dorthey found it easy to make out the words.

               “Monsieur Petrov,” She said, her tone meek, “le dîner est prêt quand vous le voulez.”

               _Dinner?_ Dorthey thought to herself, they were to have dinner here as well?

               Nikolai thanked the girl quietly, before he stood up, clearing his throat.

               “Pardon me, gentlemen; Miss Zara and I will be leaving you now.”

               Dorthey’s brows pulled together; they were having dinner alone? Dorthey knew she’d have to be careful now.

               Reaching a hand to her, Nikolai gave Dorthey a small smile, “Shall we, Dorthea?”

               Despite the fact that her heart was beating like a bat out of hell, Dorthey didn’t let her nerves show through. Instead, she held Nikolai gaze within her own.

               “Of course, Nikolai.”

*******************************

               “I’m sorry if I surprised you in there,” Nikolai explained as he led Dorthey through the casino, “I don’t know about you, but if I were to stay in that room a moment longer with those old fools, I would begin to lose my mind.”

               Dorthey responded with ease, laughing at Nikolai’s words; all the while making sure she kept an eye on their surroundings.

               “I can’t say I disagree with you, Nikolai. I’m starting to understand why my grandfather disliked these establishments.”

               A small sound of agreement left Nikolai. It was a noise that made Dorthey glance over at the man whom she had leading her around. Something in his face had changed, not an unusual occurrence; Dorthey had noticed this happen before when she mentioned her grandfather around him. But this time, his face seemed to grow harder, stiff.

               It was an expression that churned Dorthey’s stomach.

               “Ah, Domenik. He loved his family, you especially Dorthea. You know that, don’t you?”

               His voice, that sly tone. This was the Nikolai Petrov she’d known.

               But Dorthey never backed down from a fight, keeping her eyes locked onto Nikolai’s dark ones.

               Nikolai huffed, followed a subsequent chuckle.

               “Of course you know, Dorthea. After all, you were all he’d ever talk about, besides the Romanov family, naturally.”

               Dorthey didn’t respond, choosing to remain silent.

               “I wasn’t surprised when he made you heir to the Zara fortune. Although I am shocked you haven’t used that to your advantage, given the extravagant day job you keep.”

               “I don’t you what you’re talking about.”

               The moment the words left her lips Dorthey could’ve kicked herself. She made herself look pathetic, the worst thing she could do in this moment.

               Stopping in front of a pair of doors, Nikolai released Dorthey’s arm.

               “I won’t play games if you don’t, Dorthea. I know why you’re really here, you want the tiara.”

               No point in acting coy anymore, “And you have it?”

               A laugh, a real and genuine laugh escaped Nikolai then. Which only furthered Dorthey’s confusion. What did he find so damn funny?

               “Where did you hear that from, if I may ask?”

               Dorthey took a step forward, her body tense, ready to spring into action, “I have my sources.”

               “I thought you might say that,” Nikolai responded before nodding to a security guard next to the door, who moved to open said door, “You are a resourceful woman, Dorthea. But I’m afraid I have sources of my own.”

               The door opened, revealing a long wooden table, four seats, each set for dinner with plates and utensils. Across the room, a pair of waiters stood near an open pair of doors, with lead out to a large balcony.

               Walking in, Dorthey couldn’t help but shiver at the cool night breeze that entered the room. But it was nothing compared to the chills she felt when she noticed two men were already sitting in at the table.

               Dorthey eyes grew wide, she had recognized them the instant she saw them.

               “Leon and Mitch,” She snarled, turning to Nikolai, “You hired Leon and Mitch?”

               Nikolai smiled, giving a nod of greeting towards the two thieves at the table, “You should be thanking them, Dorthea. After all, without them how else would you have found your lead?”

               Dorthey felt her blood boil in her veins. Fists clenched at her sides, Dorthey locked eyes onto Leon’s, who’s face seemed to have an apologetic demeanor to it.

               “You tipped me off, why?”

               Mitch, who had worn a sick grin on his face since the first moment Dorthey had walked in, spoke up for his partner.

               “Isn’t it obvious? Jeez, and here I was thinking you might actually be intelligent. You’re an object in our way, darling. Completion isn’t exactly ideal, especially from a Zara.”

               “Mitch,” Leon warned, “Watch it, okay?”

               “Why? She has no power over us anymore, not after we ransacked her room, destroyed her computer and stole all of her-”

               Dorthey gasped in disbelief, “You did what?”

               They had broken into her room? All of there things gone? What about Sam? Oh God, Sam…..

               Nikolai sighed, walking over towards Mitch, “I thought I told you to wait for me to disclose that information with Miss Zara. I apologize, Dorthea; this isn’t how I wanted to do things.”

               It was only a moment; a quick flash of a second or two. But no one could ignore the deafening ‘snap’ that shrieked from Mitch’s body as Nikolai hands twisted the young thief’s neck.

               All the hot-blooded anger Dorthey had felt from earlier left her, leaving her body stone cold. She was unable to move, to shield her eyes from what just transpired.

               Leon response was similar to Dorthey’s, although he managed to mumble under his breath, “Mitch…”

               Nikolai sighed once more, shaking his head at the now dead mitch, who’s head laid on the dinner plate before him.

               “Such a waste, but I have no tolerance for people who can’t keep their mouths shut.”

               Taking deep breaths, Dorthey managed to find her voice, “Why?”

               Nikolai raised a brow to her as he sat down at the head on the table, seemingly unfazed by what he’d just done.

               “Why what, Dorthea?” He asked, pulling out a cigarette to place between teeth.

               “Why bring me out here? You want the treasure, fine, but why trouble yourself in bringing me all the way out-”

               Dorthey stopped in mid-sentence. All the, the pieces seemed to fall into place.

               Nikolai’s smile confirmed her suspicions.

               “You don’t have the tiara,” Dorthey declared, “You sent me out here to gather intel on me, to learn what I know.”

               Chuckling, Nikolai lit his cigarette, taking a short drag before speaking.

               “You are just like him, Dorthea. Domenik could solve any riddle you gave him. Too bad he died, the mystery of the Romanov family would have been his life’s accomplishment. It’s no wonder he passed on his dream to you. You know as much about Romaovs as he did. But alas, I’m afraid I cannot let you finish his work.”

               Nikolai snapped his fingers, and the two waiters walked over to Dorthey, grabbing her arms and pinning them behind her.

               “Not to harshly now, gentlemen. Wouldn’t want it to look like a struggle.”

               Before Dorthey could ask what the hell he was talking about, the two so-called waiters began to push Dorthey out towards the balcony.

               Oh no, this was not how Dorthey Zara would go.

               Lifting her foot, Dorthey managed to slam all six inches of her heel into one of the waiter’s foot.

               Immediately, the man released her, shrieking for his injured foot. Dorthey took this opportunity to send her fist flying into the face of the second man, giving him a taste of her right hook.

               Dorthey smiled in satisfaction at the small crack, signaling a broken nose.

               Nikolai, who seemed entertained by this, laughed out loud, clapping his hands in encouragement.

               “There she is, there is the famous Dorthey Zara I’ve heard so much about. I must say, I’m starting to like her more than Dorthea. Tell me, did that old man Victor Sullivan teach you how to do that? Or way it that Drake brother?”

               He knew about Sam and Sully? Dorthey slowly began to see how sinister Nikolai Petrov had become. Sure, he had always been clever and sly, but cruel? Never.

               “Tell me, do they know where you are? I can’t imagine their reaction to you throwing away that communication device. Anger? Disappointment?” A chuckle, “Perhaps they have abandoned you, figuring you are too much of a risk.”

               “Don’t you worry about them, Petrov.” Dorthey sheered, “I’m the one you want, right? You want to find the tiara? Let me help you. You’ve said so yourself, I know just as much about the Romanovs as my grandfather. With my help, we can find the tiara and then the treasure, together.”

               A puff of smoke exited Nikolai’s nose, followed by a wicked smile.

               “Interesting proposal, Dorthea. If you’re serious about this, then you’ll have to problem with what I’m about to do next.”

               Turning to Leon, Nikolai gestured to the doors, “Tell them to send him in.”

               Without hesitation, perhaps from fear or loyalty, Leon went to the door, mumbling a few words in French, before returning to his seat.

               A moment later, the door burst opened. A pair of guards dragged in a resisting individual. Dorthey recognize this man too, the dark brown hair, the hazel eyes, and those birds inked in mid-flight.

               “Sam,” Dorthey nearly shouted, “What the hell are you doing here?”

               “Hello to you too,” Sam mumbled, as the guards shoved him to he knees, “I’m fine, nothing to worry about. How about you?”

               One of the guards kicked him then, “Quiet you.”

               “Sam.” Dorthey whispered, fighting the urge to run to him.

               Coughing a bit, Sam’s eyes found her’s as he managed a smile, “Don’t worry, Dot. These guys aren’t as tough as they look.”

               Dorthey look to Nikolai, who now stood from the table, walking towards Sam.

               “I’m afraid we haven’t been properly introduced; Nikolai Petrov, and you are?”

               Sam pulling that famous Drake smirk, “Samuel Drake, go fuck yourself.”

               Nikolai chuckled, “Quite the talker you’ve got here, Dorthea. I don’t know how you put up with it.”

               “Dorthea?” Sam said, clearly puzzled.

               Dorthey shook her head, now was not the time to get into her backstory.

               Nikolai caught this exchange, “Really Dorthea? Not willing to share your tale with others? Pity, I expected more from the heir of the Zara family fortune.”

               “Family fortune?” Sam mumbled.

               “Nikolai,” Dorthey said, her voice sharp, “Stop this now, let him go.”

               “Why would I do that? After all the nerve he had to go breaking into my associate’s private game room, yelling and asking for you. I can’t have that happening again, Dorthea.”

               A wicked smile, “In fact, I’m afraid I can’t have either of you leaving this room alive. Leon, grab her.”

               Dorthey turned, her arm already in motion to make contact with Leon’s face. Unfortunately, Leon was ready for her reaction, blocking her strike, and pushing her to the ground, grabbing ahold of her arms before lifting her to her feet.

               “Now,” Nikolai said, putting out his cigarette on an ashtray on the table, “I’m afraid I am running late for my flight to Moscow. I’m interested to see your mother’s reaction when I give her the news of your death. Farewell, Dorthea Zara.”

               Walking out the door, Dorthey and Sam were left in the hands of Petrov’s goons, all of whom shoved the two of them out onto the balcony.

               Dorthey and Sam looked at each other, they needed a plan, and fast. Turning back towards the guards, the duo was greeted by three guns aimed at their faces.

               Sam gave Dorthey a wink, before speaking.

               “Listen guys, we can cut a deal here. Whatever this Petrov guy is paying you, we’ll double it. If you let us go, Dot here will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams. She is,, after all, heir to the Zara fortune.”

               Dorthey couldn’t believe what he was saying. How dare he use her family as a bargaining chip. But she couldn’t deny the quick-thinking Sam had managed in order to get them out of this alive.

               However, it didn’t work out the way Sam wanted.

               “You’re wasting your time,” One of the guards said, “we are loyal to Mr. Petrov.”

               Sam sighed, “I was actually hoping you say that.”

               Swinging his fist, Sam managed to knock out the guard, taking his gun in the process.

               Dorthey rolled her eyes, but followed Sam’s lead, taking out the other guard on her own.

               As she picked up the gun, Dorthey focused her aim at Leon, who seemed frozen in place, like he was in a trance.

               Sam glanced at her, “What are you waiting for? Shoot him.”

               Dorthey want to. Oh man, did she want to. But the look on Leon’s face, the sorrow in his eyes, it was enough to make she change her actions.

               “Go,” Dorthey commanded, “Before I change my mind, Leon. Go, take Mitch, and leave.”

               At the mention of his friend’s name, Leon seemed to snap back into reality.

               “I’m sorry, Dorthey. I can’t.”

               “Oh for the love of…”

               Sam stepped in, shooting Leon in the leg, causing him to fall to his knees, releasing the gun in hand.

               As Sam picked up the weapon, Dorthey gave Leon an apologetic look, “I’m sorry.”

               “Sorry?” Leon said, “We chose this life, didn’t we? We don’t get to be sorry, Dorthey.”

               Dorthey wanted to say more, but Sam was already pulling at her hand, “Come on, Victor’s heading back to the room to get our things.”

               “What? No! Sam, our room was ransacked. Nikolai stole everything! We need to leave, now!”

               Sam nodded, placing a finger to his ear, “You catch all that Victor?”

               “You’re still in contact?” Dorthey asked.

               Sam grinned, pulling out a spare ear piece, handing it to Dorthey, “Idiots didn’t bother checking me.”

               Immediately Dorthey pressed the device into her ear, “Sully, you there?”

               “ _Goddammit Dorthey, where the hell have you been?_ ”

               Dorthey felt tears threatening to form in her eyes, “Long story, fill you in later. Right now, you need to get us a ride out of here.”

               “ _So, I hear. Petrov knows more than we’ve anticipated._ ”

               “That’s an understatement.” Dorthey sighed.

               “ _Well, you and Sam better get out fast, it’s a damn zoo down here. I take it the gunshots were your doing?_ ”

               Dorthey pushed towards the door, pressing her other ear against it, “Better ask Sam,  that was all his doing.”

               “In my defense, Victor,” Sam began, walking over towards Dorthey, “Dot over here hesitated.”

               “I did not, I just figured it was unnecessary, now the whole damn building is going into lockdown thanks to you.”

               “ _Jesus,_ ” Sully said, he sounded exhausted, “ _You kids sound like an old married couple._ ”

               Dorthey chose to ignore that statement, considering the smirk Sam was now giving her.

               “ _Now, if you two can stop arguing for one goddamn minute, get down here as fast as you can, I’ll see if I can get us a ride back to the plane._ ”

               “Thank you, Sully.” Dorthey said.

               “ _Anytime, kid._ ”

               With that, the line went silent.

               “Old married couple, hmmm?” Sam said, wiggling his eyebrows.

               “If we make it out of here alive, Sam. I swear, I’m going to kill you myself.”

               “Kill the rescuer huh, that’s not very lady like, especially for an heir of some family fortune.”

               Dorthey groaned, “Sam, now is not the time. I will explain everything once we get out of here.”

               Sam’s face told her he didn’t fully believe her, but he nodded anyway.

               “Right,’ Dorthey said, pulling back the safety on her gun, “You ready?”

               Sam smiled, “After you, Miss Zara.”


	7. Escape from Monaco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Another update! Super excited for where this story is going. I'm going to try an post another chapter before the end of March since I don't know how much writing I'll get done in April. I'm doing camp nanowrimo so that's what I'll be working on! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

** Chapter 6: ** **_Escape from Monaco_**

As soon as Dorthey and Sam pushed open the doors, they immediately were met by gunfire.

               Sam quickly pulled the doors shut, “Son of a bitch!”

               Dorthey couldn’t have said it better herself. Dorthey and Sam were caught right in Nikolai Petrov’s trap, one he intended for them to die in.

               “Um, Dot? You got any of those fancy ideas of yours that can get us the hell out of here?”

               Dorthey looked towards Sam, who had his body pressed against the doors. Luckily for them, they were made of strong, thick wood. The bullets wouldn’t come through, but the guards might.

               Looking around the room, Dorthey spotted a large candle holder. Picking it up, she tossed to Sam who, despite being shocked by her actions, caught it.

               “Brace the door with that, we’re not getting out that way.”

               Dorthey had turned her back to him, but she didn’t miss Sam’s mumble of, “No shit.”

               Giving him the side-eye, Sam responded with a simple shrug, and walked passed her and towards the balcony.

               Joining him at his side, Dorthey glanced up at him. She immediately felt panic when she saw his face, that damn small crooked smile that said he had an idea.

               Dorthey let out a nervous laugh, “You not serious!”

               Sam looked at her with confusion, “I haven’t said anything yet.”

               Dorthey slapped his arm, causing Sam to mumble an ‘ouch’.

               “You want us to jump off the balcony?” Dorthey hissed, crossing her arms.

               Sam leaned over the side again, looking below them, “Actually, I was going to suggest we climb down, save us a broken bone or two, but yes, over the balcony it is. Problem?”

               _Big problem_ , Dorthey thought to herself. They were up on the third floor, near the opera house entrance, which wasn’t the problem Dorthey had. What concerned her was the fact that there were multiple guards below them, all of whom were armed with bigger and better guns then they current possessed. Not to mention the fact that she was wearing a dress and heels; not exactly the best attire for climbing. And, despite her early adventures with Sully, as well as her own personal training, Dorthey wasn’t quiet as skilled of a climber as she would like.

               “Perhaps we can figure out a way out through the doors.” Dorthey suggested, although her voice wasn’t as confident as she had hoped.

               Sam, in turn, gave her a dead-pan look, “Dot…”

               “What?” She whispered, refusing to look Sam in the eye.

               “You're not scared, are you?”

               _Scared?_ Dorthey thought, no. Disappointed and embarrassed? Definitely.

               This day wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. All Dorthey wanted, was to find the tiara and finish what her grandfather started. Instead, she had managed to get herself cornered, make a fool of herself in front of her new partner, and go against her own morals by straying from the plan, putting everyone at risk.

               And now, as she stood on the balcony with Sam, the sound of guards at the door, Dorthey couldn’t help but feel so small, so unprepared for the rest of this job.

               It wasn’t until she felt Sam’s hand on her shoulder, did Dorthey manage to snap out of her own pathetic quims.

               “Hey, you good?” Sam asked, his face no longer wearing that cocky smirk of his, but instead, sympathetic and warm. A comforting expression that made Dorthey want to turn away in embarrassment.

               Dorthey took a deep breath, blinking a few times before giving Sam a pity of a smile, “Yeah, I’m fine. And you’re right, this is our only chance out of here. Let’s do it.”

               Brushing his hand away, Dorthey stepped up towards the railing, she had just swung her left leg over the side before Sam spoke again.

               “You sure about this, Dot?”

               Sighing, Dorthey looked up at him, “Yes, now hurry up, before Nikolai’s guards get in here.” Swinger her right leg over, Dorthey added, “And for the last time, stop calling me ‘Dot’!”

               Sam chuckled, taking Dorthey’s gun from her and tucking it into his jacket. Since she was wearing a dress, it would be Sam’s job to cover her as they climbed.

               “ _Okay, okay. Don’t look down, Dorthey, for the love of all that is good, don’t look down!_ ”

               Dorthey kept repeating this mantra in her head as she slowly inched her way towards the far side of the balcony. If she was correct, she should be able to jump across to the next balcony below her.

               But as soon as she was in position to jump, Dorthey found it extremely difficult to let go.

               “What’s the hold up?” Sam whispered to her, mindful of the guards below them.

               “Nothing, I just….” Dorthey paused, searching for the right words, “Just trying to think for a minute.”

               Sam scoffed, “Yeah, well, could you think a little faster? Those guards above will break into that room and moment now.”

               Dorthey narrowed her green eyes at him, “I’m sorry, I’m not exactly an expert climber.”

               Sighing at her, Dorthey could’ve sworn she heard Sam mutter the word, “amateur.” Of course, if that were the case, and if they weren’t dangling in the air, Dorthey would have not fought the urge to smack him.

               “Okay, hold on a second.” Sam said, before climbing closer to her.

               “What are you doing?” Dorthey asked, as Sam now was nearly inches from her face.

               Sam chuckled, whispering in her ear, “Don’t worry, Dot. Just trying to get around you so I can show you how to jump.”

               Ignoring the chills that were sent up her spine, Dorthey held her body still as Sam maneuvered over her, granting himself a better position.

               Placing his feet against the bottom of the balcony, Sam readied his body toward the new planform below. Holding onto the balcony with one arm, Sam stretched out his other to better angle himself.

               “See you on the other side, Dot.” Sam said with a wink, before leaping out into the open air.

               Dorthey sworn then, if they make it out alive, she was going to slap him each time he called her ‘Dot’.

               Fingers hanging on for dear life, Sam managed to get a grip on the edge of the balcony below them. Dorthey found it remarkable that he didn’t make a sound. She silently prayed she wouldn’t scream.

               Climbing over the edge, Sam crouched on the balcony and reached out his hand, “Come on, Dot. You’re up.”

               Dorthey gulped, glancing from Sam’s position and her own.

               Noticing her distress, Sam leaned farther over the balcony, reaching out with both hands.

               “Hey, look at me, okay? I got you, Dot. Just do what I did, and I’ll do the rest, sound good?”

               Dorthey looked down at her feet, if she was even going to attempt this, she’d have to lose her shoes.

               Carefully as she could, Dorthey pushed her feet against one another until her heels slipped from her feet, and into the brushed below. Dorthey was thankful that the guards hadn’t noticed their fall.

               Dorthey glanced back at Sam, who was still leaning over, arms waiting. Pushing her feet against the balcony, Dorthey slowly stretched her arms out, her heart racing each second.

               “That’s it, Dot. Now twist your body, you’re doing great.”

               Despite his words of encouragement, Dorthey found herself unable to let go. She realized then, she was afraid. Afraid of letting go, afraid Sam wouldn’t catch her, afraid of dying. But most of all, Dorthey was afraid of failing; she was afraid of failing the wishes of her grandfather, and afraid of letting Nikolai taking what was hers. She had to do this.

               And yet….

               Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from above. Causing Dorthey to catch her breath.

               “Okay, enough fooling around,” Sam hissed, “You got to trust me Dot, you need to jump, and you need to do it now!”

               Trust. There was that word again.

               “ _You seem to have some trust issues, Miss Zara._ ”

               That’s what Sam had said to her. That was only hours ago, but to Dorthey it felt like forever. Looking at him now, Dorthey knew she’d have to eat those words if she didn’t move.

               “Dot.”

               Dorthey met Sam’s gaze, holding it with sudden ease.

               Managing a small smile, Sam reach out just a little farther, “Dot, I promise, I won’t let you go.”

               That was all she needed to hear.

               Pressing her bare feet firmly against the balcony, Dorthey took a deep breath, twisting her body around before pushing off.

               It happened all so fast.

               By some sort of miracle, Dorthey managed to stay quiet, leaping through the air and into Sam’s strong grip. Like he had promised, he caught her, gripping her hand between her own.

               Looking up at him, the moonlight gracing over his shoulders and into his dark hair, Dorthey found herself giggling quietly in relief.

               Pulling her up, Sam gave her a strange look, “What’s so funny.”

               Crossing her legs over the balcony, Dorthey beamed up at Sam, a huge grin on her face, “I did it. I jumped.”

               Perhaps it was her ridiculous, almost child-like reaction to the situation, or maybe it was out of his own nerves, but Sam smiled back at Dorthey, his classic smirk making an appearance once again.

               “You certainly did.” Sam said, helping Dorthey to find her feet, “Now, you’re going to have to do it again.”

               If that wasn’t a damper on Dorthey’s mood, then the sudden shouting from the guards above certainly did the trick.

               “Check the balcony, they couldn’t have gotten far.

               Without hesitation, both Sam and Dorthey swung over the balcony, hanging from the far side, out of the guards’ view and closer to their destination.

               Raising a brow to her, Sam asked, “Ready for the next jump?”

               Dorthey laughed, “Like I have much of a choice?”

               Laughing with her quietly, Sam shook his head, “’Fraid not, Dot.”

               To Dorthey’s relief, the next jump was much easier than the previous. Taking the lead, Sam lowered himself as much as he could before letting go of the balcony, dropping to the ground with a slight roll.

               Glancing back up at her, Sam gave Dorthey a nod of encouragement, telling her it was clear for her to drop.

               Following Sam’s actions, Dorthey let go of the balcony, managing to roll right next to him, behind a conveniently large potted plant.

               Reaching behind her, Dorthey adjusted the pins in her hair, securing the rest of her hair into a secure makeshift bun. While she did this, Sam glanced over the pot, checking the number of guards they had to deal with.

               “So,” Dorthey asked, looking for herself, “What’s the damage?”

               Sam moved closer to her, pointing out each guard.

               “We got two guys up top, along the roof across the garden. We’ll have to take them out last, since they’re so far out.”

               Dorthey nodded, “Meaning we need to be extra careful with the others.”

               “Right,” Sam agreed, “Which means taking these guys out as quietly as we can manage. Best not to get into a shoot-out with those guys above us.”

               Dorthey eyes searched the compound, if she was correct, she counted around six guards, included the two perched above. If they could get past this, she and Sam would be in the clear.

               “But just in case,” Sam said, pulling out Dorthey’s gun, “Here.”

               Mumbling a quiet word of ‘thanks’, Dorthey held the weapon firmly in her hands.

               Sam nodded, ready to give Dorthey his plan of escape when-

               “ _Dorthey? Sam?”_

               Without hesitation, Dorthey responded, “We’re listening, Sully.”

               “ _I don’t mean to alarm you guys, but Nikolai Petrov has done more damage than we thought._ ”

               Dorthey looked at Sam, each of them nervous to respond.

               “Sully,” Dorthey asked, “What happened?”

               “ _Petrov and his goons set the entire hotel on fire! Seems like he didn’t want any evidence of our existence to be available._ ”

               Sam’s mouth dropped open, “Holy shit…”

               “ _My thoughts exactly._ ” Sully commented, his tone grim.

               “Sully, you got to get out of there. Petrov’s men could still be in the area.” Dorthey said, her voice fiercely calm.

               “ _What about you guys?_ ”

               Sam looked towards Dorthey, his eyes asking the exact same question.

               “We’re almost out, just go and get the plane. Fly over towards the beach, land in the water and we’ll meet you out there. We’ll take off and get the hell out of Monaco.”

               “ _You sure, kid?_ ” Sully asked.

               “Dot…”

               Looking at Sam, Dorthey held his gaze as she answered, “I’m positive. Besides, we’ve dealt with worse, right?”

               Sully chuckled at her words, “ _If that ain’t the goddamn truth._ ”

               “We’ll see you soon, Sully.”

               Signing off, Dorthey looked towards their next targets, “You ready?”

               Sam raised his brows, “You kidding? I’ve been waiting for some action all night.”

               Dorthey rolled her eyes, “Just follow my lead.”

               Crouching, Dorthey moved silently. After her grandfather’s death, Dorthey had convinced her mother to let her hire a personal trainer during the summer. It wasn’t hard to convince her mother to allow her to participate in an activity that would limit their time together. Of course, Dorthey never specified what type of training she wanted. After doing some digging, Dorthey managed to find a trainer to suit her needs.

               Her name was Kira. In the public eyes, she was known as a popular ballet dancer, having performed in the grandest ballets all over the world. But those how dealt in less… admirable affairs, she was one of the greatest assassins, hired by those who wanted an easy path to their own glory.

               Her greatness lied within her known trait of being completely silent. The first time Dorthey met with her, she was startle by her sudden appearance, as she had not heard a single one of Kira’s steps.

               From that moment, Dorthey knew she wanted to train with her.

               Kira’s methods were never sympathetic. She trained Dorthey hard, with an unbreakable set of principles. She never allowed weakness, Dorthey had to be strong at all times. The first few weeks were awful, painful. But Dorthey was too stubborn for her own good, something she and Kira had in common. And so, Dorthey stuck with it.; pushing herself like never before. Never in her life had Dorthey been so thankful to her mother, for forcing her into ballet lessons as a young girl.

               By the end of the summer, Dorthey learned to be as quiet as a cat, walking along the floor without so much as letting it creak beneath her feet. Startling her mother was just one of the many rewards of her training.

               Thinking back, Dorthey could still see her trainer’s electric red hair, cropped into a short bob. To this day, Dorthey couldn’t recall the color of Kira’s eyes, as they always seemed to constantly be covered under her bangs. Sometimes, Dorthey would wonder if she did that on purpose, conceal such an important characteristic of hers from her own student.

               Despite her short time with Kira, Dorthey never forgot her lessons. And now, as she crept closer to the two guards at the garden entrance, Dorthey found she couldn’t wipe that cocky smile off her face.

               Kneeling, body pressed against the short wall along the stone path, Dorthey looked behind her, cocking her head at Sam, gesturing for him to follow her movements. It was time she show him where her talents lied. What Dorthey lacked in climbing skills, she made up for in combat.

               Swiftly, Dorthey grabbed one of the guards, twisting his left arm behind him before kicking his legs out from under him. As Sam joined her, taking out the other guard, Dorthey wrapped her left leg around the guard’s neck, squeezing softly, just enough to cause her struggling victim to pass out.

               Once he fell still, Dorthey released her hold on the guard. After she detangled herself, Dorthey kept moving forward, Sam trailing behind her. Two down, four to go.

               The next two guards were easy; splitting up, Sam and Dorthey headed in opposite directions, each taking out their targets with ease. While Sam used brute force to knock out his opponents, Dorthey was more calculated, taking out the guards with quick and silent movements.

               Meeting Sam along a rose bush, the two thieves hastily jumped over to the next building, Sam catching Dorthey’s hand and pulling her up, before pressing their backs against the wall just below the armed guards. There, they waited for a few moments. It wasn’t until one of the guards walked over to the opposite side, that Dorthey spoke.

               “Okay,” Dorthey whispered, handing her gun to Sam, “Give me a boost.”

               Sam looked at Dorthey with confusion, slightly shaking his head.

               “Just do it.”

               Not auguring with her, Sam tucked her gun next to his, cupping his hands against his knee. Sam lifted Dorthey effortlessly. Once boosted, she grabbed hold of the ledge of the roof. Looking up, Dorthey reached out, grabbing the guards foot. Just as she made contact, the guard looked down at her.

               Dorthey didn’t stop her movements; flashing the guard a wicked grin, Dorthey tugged his leg, sending him down towards Sam below.

               “All yours.” She whispered, as she pulled herself up to the roof.

               Once there, Dorthey move fast. Feet silent as ever, she ran towards the guard, ready to take him out. Just at the last second, the guard turned, and Dorthey briefly saw the fear in his eyes.

               Dashing forward, no longer worried about the sound of her feet, Dorthey was able to move at full speed, jumping at the guard and looping her legs on either side of his neck before bending backwards, using her weight to flip the guard over head first, knocking him out on impact as she landed gracefully on her feet.

               Looking over her shoulder, Dorthey found Sam starring out her, jaw dropped. Dorthey couldn’t help but smile at his reaction.

               “What?” She asked innocently, walking towards Sam.

               The corners of Sam’s mouth tugged upward, a light chuckle escaping him.

               “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

               Dorthey laughed at his words, she was about to comment at his remark, until her eyes found the bright light of the once beautiful Hôtel de Paris.

               Slowly, Dorthey walking closer to the edge of the roof, watching the flames consume the historic building. How many people were in that building? How many innocent people perished in the fire? Petrov was a man who liked to gamble, but only when he had control of the game. And never had Dorthey ever felt more like a pawn than she did now.

               Placing a hand on her shoulder, Sam managed to tare Dorthey’s eyes from the fire.

               “Come on,” He said softly, “We’ve got to keep moving.”

               Taking on last look at the disaster, Dorthey nodded, joining Sam as they ran through the night.

*****************************

               Despite the vast amount of chaos surrounding them, Dorthey and Sam managed to make it towards the beach. Just as she had expected, the area was completely isolated at this time, everyone too distracted by the events within the city center.

               “Hey Victor, we’re at the beach. You ready?” Sam asked, pressing his finger against the communication device.

               “ _I’m nearly there, coming over now._ ” Sully responded.

               A moment later, Dorthey’s ears picked up the familiar sound of Sully’s plane. Never before had she been so happy to see the bulky machine.

               “Victor ‘Goddamn’ Sullivan,” Sam chuckled, looking at Dorthey, “Son of a bitch never fails huh? Come on, let’s get the hell out of here.”

               Together, Dorthey and Sam ran, ready to leap into the water and throw themselves into Sully’s plane.

               But all of Dorthey’s effort came crashing down, at the sound of gunfire erupted behind her.

               She didn’t even get a chance to look at the perpetrators, not as a sharp pain flared against her left arm. The only thing Dorthey could manage was to cry out in agony.

               Sam stopped running, finding Dorthey behind him, picking herself off the ground, clutching her arm.

               “Dot!” Sam shouted, rushing towards her.

               “Блядь!” Dorthey cursed, falling back into her native tongue.

               Helping her to her feet, Sam placed on hand on her back, the other holding Dorthey’s arm, “Come on, Dot. Don’t get lazy on me now.”

               Jogging along, they managed to reach the water. Sam pushed Dorthey in front of him, encouraging her to reach the plane first. Sully had landed about forty yards out from the shore. As best as she could, Dorthey swam, biting her lip each time her left arm met the salty water. But Dorthey was a fighter, she had dealt with worse pain, both physical and emotional.

               “ _You are my greatest mistake; do you know that? I would have lived a different life if I didn’t have you.”_

Those were the words her mother spoke to her the night Dorthey ran away. It times of discontent, when Dorthey found herself dealing with tremendous physical pain, Dorthey would think of her mother’s spiteful words, for nothing could ever be as painful as them.

               “ _If you hate me so much, why keep me?_ ” Dorthey had challenged, tears in her eyes.

               “ _Because I am a Zara. Things are expected of us, Dorthea. And you would do well to understand that. You too are a Zara; certain things are now expected of you too._ ”

               The fiery pain in Dorthey arm dimmed a little, as she moves closer to Sully’s plane.

               “ _You say I’m a mistake,_ ” Dorthey challenged, “ _And yet it was you who decided to go out drinking, only to end up sleeping with a man whose name you didn’t even know.”_

               Her mother had slapped her then, nails dragging across the side of her face. It was the only time her mother had ever physically hurt her. To this day, Dorthey could remember the silence, followed by the shock that insinuated between them both.

               Dorthey had watched as her mother glanced down at her hand, clenching it softly, and then releasing it. She watched the way her throat bobbed, shallowing before speaking.

               “ _I don’t want to hear you speak like that to me ever again, Dorthea. Is that understood?_ ”

               Dorthey didn’t know what to say in that moment. She’d chosen to remain silent, nodding at her mother’s request. That night, the instant she’d closed her bedroom door, Dorthey ran to her closet, throwing clothes into a duffle bag, along with a few books from either her grandfather or Sully. Her sore cheek had become numb, as the pain of the hot tears in her eyes had become much worse. Finishing her packing, Dorthey had opened the large window from her second story room. Using her bedsheets, Dorthey managed to climb her way down. Once her boots hit the earth, Dorthey ran, not bothering to look back behind her.

               There she was, seventeen years old and a runaway. Using the money she had, Dorthey bought a plane ticket to London, the flight that took her the farthest from her mother. Once she arrived, Dorthey used the rest of her money to make a long-distance call to the only person she trusted.

               Twenty years later, Dorthey now looked up, reaching to grab the hand of said person.

               “Come on, Kid. Hop in!”

               Using Sully’s hand as an anchor, Dorthey pulled herself up and into the plane. Once inside, Dorthey crawled forward, leaning against the bench seat in the back, trying to catch her breath.

               Not even a second later, Sam climbed in behind her, shouting at Sully to take off.

               As they flew into the air, Dorthey finally got a chance to glance at her arm, getting a measurement of its damage.

               She was pleased to find the bullet that had hit her only grazed her skin, leaving a bloody cut the trailed from the top of her elbow, to the bottom of her shoulder.

               “Hey, Dot?”

               Dorthey turned to look at Sam, his chest moving up and down as he took some much-needed deep breaths.

               Sam nodded, gesturing to her injury, “You alright?”

               Dorthey nodded, “Yeah, thanks.”

               Sam gave her a single nod, mouth open to say more, until Sully interrupted.

               “Dorthey? Were you hit?” Sully called back, taking a quite glance at the two thieves current sprawled out in the back on his plane.

               “Yes, but it was just a graze, I’m fine Sully.” Dorthey answered, a small smile pulled at her lips upon hearing the genuine concern in Sully’s voice.

               “There should be a med kit back there, can you patch yourself up?”

               Dorthey looked around, easily finding the med kit along the bench across from her, “Yeah, I go it.”

               But before she could even reach for it, Sam had already moved, grabbing the kit and scooting closer to Dorthey.

               “You know, I can do this myself right?” Dorthey said, groaning slightly as Sam pressed a cloth soaked with rubbing alcohol to her skin.

               Sam chuckled knowingly, “Ah, but what kind of a gentlemen would let a young lady, such as yourself, be left to lick her wounds alone?”

               Dorthey rolled her eyes, to tired to think of a witty comeback. And so, Dorthey Zara let herself relax as much as she could, allowing Sam to wrap up her arm in peace. During this time, Dorthey began to think of their next move.

               Nikolai Petrov had shown her his true colors. His motive however, was yet another mystery Dorthey would be solving on this job. Why the sudden interest in the Romanovs? Dorthey hadn’t missed the bitter tone Petrov had took when talking about the tiara.

               Dorthey smiled, _the tiara._

               “What are you smiling about?” Sam asked her, wrapping the final bit of gauze around her arm.

               “The tiara,” Dorthey explained, “Nikolai doesn’t have it.”

               “What?” Both Sam and Sully said in shock.

               “Are you sure, Dorthey?” Sully asked.

               “How do you know?” Sam said, getting his two-cents in.

               “When I was talking to Petrov earlier, back in the casino, when he told be he’d sent Leon and Mitch to send me his way, I sort of put two and two together. And when I confronted my suspicions, Petrov more or less confirmed them. I think he was curious to see what I knew of the tiara.”

               “Well,” Sam sighed, “At least something good came out from tonight.”

               “Yeah but at what cost?” Sully argued, “I mean, this Petrov guy is certainly not playing around. Burning down the hotel? What the hell is up with that?”

               “A cause of death,” Dorthey whispered, “My death. He plans to send word to my mother.”

               Dorthey thought of the hotel then, all those innocent people….

               “Hey,” Sam said, touching her shoulder lightly, “That isn’t on you, Dot.”

               Dorthey shook her head, she didn’t want to think any more of it, there would be a time to later, but now was not it.

               “St. Petersburg.” She said suddenly.

               “What’s that?” Sully asked, looking back at Dorthey.

               Dorthey took a deep breath, “Nikolai Petrov said he was heading back to Moscow. He burned down the hotel, including my research with it. That means,” She took another breath, “That means I need to go back to the source of my work.”

               Sully didn’t hide the disapproving tone in his voice, “You’re not serious?”

               Dorthey nodded, “I am. My family home is in St. Petersburg, there is where my grandfather’s research is held.”

               “What exactly are you hoping to find?” Sam asked, “Do you have any idea what you’re looking for?”

               “When talking to Petrov, he’d mentioned my grandfather once found a letter from the Romanovs addressed to the Zara family. I think that letter might be a good place to start.”

               Sam nodded, “Sounds like a plan to me.”

               “You sure about this, Dorthey? About going back to…. her, I mean.”

               Looking at Sully, Dorthey let herself dwell on this decision of hers. But no matter how she tried, Dorthey could not find a way around this, if they were ever going to get this job done, the path there was clear.

               And so, Dorthey didn’t feel hesitation as she said, “I’m positive.”

**********************

               At some point, Dorthey had dozed off. Letting herself forget her problems for a moment and enjoy the blissfulness of sleep.

               But like all good things, Dorthey’s slumber came to an end the moment she heard Sam’s voice cursing loudly.

               Cracking her eyes open, Dorthey focused her gaze on the body of Sam, who stood in the center of the plane, rubbing the top of his head.

               “Problem, Sam?” Dorthey said, sitting up and yawning.

               Sam shook his head, “No, no, I was just umm…”

               “You hit you’re head on the roof.” Dorthey stated, a small smile gracing her face.

               “…...Yeah.” Sam admitted, taking a seat across from her.

               It was then Dorthey noticed his attire had changed; no longer in his suit, Sam now wore a simple grey Henley shirt and a pair of kakis. Upon noticing this, Dorthey felt herself shiver, realizing she was still dressed in her sea-soaked dress.

               “You’re cold,” Sam stated as he reaches in a hutch below him, pulling out a wool blanket, “Here.”

               “Thanks.” Dorthey said, accepting the blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders, letting its warmth surround her.

               “Anytime.”

               A minute passed, as the two thieves sat in silence. The only sound was the quiet hum of the plane’s engine as Sully continued to fly into the night.

               “Hey, Dorthey?”

               Looking up, Dorthey’s green eyes found Sam’s hazel ones in waiting.

               “Yeah?” She asked, her voice quiet.

               “I think you owe be a couple of explanations here.”

               Dorthey sat back, knowing exactly what those ‘explanations’ were. She could hear Nikolai’s laugh echoing in her ears.

               _“Quite the talker you've got here, Dorthea. I don't know how you put up with it.”_

_“Dorthea?”_

               Dorthey sighed, “My real name is Dorthea, I changed it after I left home. I went my Dorthey at school in America, I guess I always found it to be a better fit for me.”

               “And the fortune?” Sam asked, leaning forward, hands clasped together between his knees.

               Dorthey didn’t know where to begin, she couldn’t help but glance towards Sully. No surprise to her, she found him glancing back at her from the rearview mirror, eyes sympathetic.

               Shrugging, Dorthey started her answer.

               “About twenty-four years ago, my grandfather, Domenik Zara, passed away. Upon arriving home for his funeral, our family lawyer sat my family down to go over his will. Traditionally, the Zara fortune passes down to a male heir, so that he my carry on the family name. However, upon my grandfather’s death, the only member of my family left were myself, my mother, my aunt Sascha, and my grandmother, all female. It was expected, that either my mother, or her younger sister, would inherit the estate and the fortune with it. However, my grandfather decided to go with a more…… unorthodox option.”

               “By choosing you.” Sam stated, earning a nod from Dorthey.

               “My grandfather was one of the few people in my life who’d truly cared for me. In his mind, I was the sole future to the Zara family; it was up to me to pick up the pieces of his life’s work, to up hold the family legacy. Of course, my mother was less than thrilled about this, not to mention my grandmother raved on about how the will ‘had to be a fake’. They only person on my side then was my aunt Sascha, who, other than my grandfather, was the only other family member who tolerated me.

               “Eventually, my grandmother stopped her arguing and accepted the fact that I was now the heir to the Zara fortune. She decided this meant she had to get control over me. The next few summers, or whenever I came home from school, my grandmother insisted she teach me how to be ‘a lady’. Which meant etiquette lessons from hell, going to long and boring parties thrown by my grandmother’s friends, and leaving me to find ways I could to sneak out of each and every one.”

               Sam chuckled, “I can imagine.”

               Dorthey smiled, “One time, I insisted I had broken my arm at school as a reason to not attend some party; had a sling and everything.”

               “What happened?” Sam asked curiously.

               Dorthey smiled sheepishly, “It was dumb, but I was caught laying on my bed, on my elbows, books sprawled around me and a face full of peppermints.”

               Sam didn’t hold back his laugh, “Peppermints?”

               “It was winter break, I wanted to get into the holiday spirit and I like peppermints.”

               Sam held his hands up, “No judging from me, Dot. So, what were they about?”

               Dorthey raised a brow, “What?”

               “The books,” Sam explained, “What were you reading?”

               Dorthey looked up at the celling, thinking for a moment, “A little of everything, a book about the Romanovs,”

               “Obviously.”

               Dorthey grinned, “Obviously. But I also had a book about ancient Egypt, the rein of Cleopatra I think, as well as one on hieroglyphics and other ancient texts. Oh! And a book of unsolved mysteries.”

               “Intriguing. You know what I think?” Sam asked.

               “What?” Dorthey asked, waiting for his answer.

               “I think teenage Dot and teenage Sam would have been good friends.”

               Dorthey laughed, “Oh dear lord.”

               “No, I’m serious.” Sam insisted, “Think of the discussions they would have had, the adventures. Dot, I think they would have found that tiara of yours a long time ago.”

               “Maybe they would have. But I think teenage Dot would have found teenage Samuel Drake to be a little too much trouble for her.”

               “Not a fan of bad boys, Dot?” Sam dared, cocky smirk on his face.

               Dorthey rolled her eyes, “Teenage Dorthey got into enough trouble, a bad boy was the last thing she needed.”

               “Oh, but the ultimate teenage rebellion! You could have brought home a reckless, no good boy from the states back to rub in your family’s face. Just think of it, Dot.”

               Despite herself, Dorthey laughed at Sam’s little fantasy, “Perhaps.”

               Together, the two fell into another moment of silence. Sam once again, was the one to break it.

               “Thanks, Dot.”

               Dorthey looked up at Sam again, “For what?”

               Sam gave Dorthey a lop-sided smile, “For trusting me with the truth.”

               Dorthey blushed then, turning away from Sam, “Yeah, no problem.”

               Laying down on the bench, Dorthey turned her back to Sam. She wasn’t tired, but there was something about the conversation that just transpierced that made Dorthey want to hide under her newly acquired blanket and scream.

               “Goodnight, Sam.” Dorthey whispered.

               A faint chuckle hit Dorthey’s ears, “Goodnight, Dot.”

               And with that, Dorthey shut her eyes, praying for the sweet bliss of sleep to take her once more.


	8. Breaking & Entering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dorthey returns home to St. Peterseburg, and Sam tags along.

 

Never in her wildest dreams, did Dorthey Zara consider returning to her childhood home.

               And yet, here she was. Standing at the front gates of Zara manor; Dorthey didn’t know if it was the cool night air of St. Petersburg sending chills up her spine, or the possibility of seeing her mother again was just that frightening.

               “So,” Sam began, his voice quiet, “You actually grew up here?”

               Dorthey nodded, taking a deep breath, the corners of her mouth tilted up slightly.

               “Sometimes, I find it difficult to believe myself.” She said with a light chuckle.

               Sam continued to stare at her family home, shaking his head a little, “Wow...”

               Dorthey didn’t have to ask him about his reaction, based on information Sully had told her about Nathan Drake over the years, Dorthey knew that the Drake brothers spent most of their childhood in an orphanage. A stark comparison to the type of upbringing Dorthey lived.

               Taking a deep breath, Dorthey reached down, picking up a worn-down backpack. She had obtained it, along with a pair of baggy jeans, old work boots, and an oversized flannel shirt Sully had on his plane for her to change into. Sam wore a similar get-up, only he didn’t have to roll his pants up several times, so he didn’t trip on them.

               Swing the pack on her shoulder, Dorthey nudged Sam, getting his attention.

               “Shall we get a closer look?”

               Sam waved his hand forward, “Lead the way, Dot.”

               Walking along the fence, Dorthey began to feel a case of déjà vu. On more than one occasion, Dorthey had snuck out of her house many of times during her adolescence, mostly as an act of defiance against her mother, but also because she wanted to see if she could get away with it. Turns out, Dorthey had a knack for it.

               Rounding the corner of the fence, the structure became stone, which wrapped around the sides and back of the grounds. Dorthey kept walking ahead, her eyes spotting an old tree in the back corner of the yard. As the two thieves approached it, Dorthey pressed a finger to her earpiece.

               “Sully? Can you hear me?”

               “ _Loud and clear, Dorthey._ ” Sully answered.

               Dorthey stopped at the tree, looking up at it with familiarity, “Just wanted to give you a heads up before we head in.”

               “ _You sure about this, Dorthey?_ ” Sully asked, sounding concerned, “ _After all, isn’t breaking into your own home a little, well…unnecessarily?_ ”

               Dorthey had thought that too. At some point on the flight over, Dorthey had woken up and joined Sully; together, the two began to discuss possible solutions to gaining her grandfather’s research. Dorthey had thought long and hard about simply knocking on the door and facing her mother. However, dealing with her seemed to be more work than sneaking in.

               Sam immediately volunteered to join Dorthey, a suggestion that Dorthey couldn’t help but agree with. After his help in escaping Monaco, Sam had shown Dorthey his capability in this job, and Dorthey knew it would be ridiculous to say otherwise against him. Besides, Sully, bless his heart, was not exactly built for the ‘heavy-lifting’ anymore, and preferred to stay back as backup.

               And now, as she kept her gaze fixed on the tree above her, Dorthey knew this was the best possible option. Reckless? Maybe so; but Dorthey preferred it to dealing with whatever wicked tricks her mother would have up her sleeve.

               “Don’t worry, Sully. I’m doing my mother a favor by not speaking to her.”

               Over the connection, Dorthey heard Sully sigh, “ _Alright, just be careful. You too, Sam._ ”

               “I’m always careful.” Sam said, earning a chuckle from both Sully and Dorthey, “I don’t get it, why are you two laughing?”

               “ _Keep an eye on him for me, okay Dorthey._ ”

               Dorthey met Sam’s eyes and smiled, “Will do, see you soon.”

               “ _Hope so, Kid._ ”

               Once Sully had gone silent, Dorthey gestured at Sam, “Wanna give me a boost?”

               Obeying, Sam walked over to the wall, cupping his hands against his leg. Placing her foot in the palm of his hands, Dorthey let her hands grip Sam’s shoulders before he pushed her body up, allowing her to pull herself atop of the stone wall.

               Kneeling on the stone structure, Dorthey reached her hand down to Sam, “Okay, you’re next.”

               Taking a few steps back, Sam jogged towards Dorthey before leaping and getting a firm grasp on her hand. Dorthey felt her body pulled forward slightly at the weight of him; she found herself needing both of her hands to pull the Drake brother up and onto the top of the wall.

               “You’re a lot heavier than you look.” Dorthey said, as she clenched and unclenched her hands, hoping to stretch them out.

               Sam raised a brow at Dorthey, “Are you calling me fat?”

               Dorthey scoffed at Sam ridiculously over the top statement, a reaction that caused Sam to place a hand over his heart. He was going to be the death of her.

               Rolling her eyes at him, Dorthey stood up carefully, “Quit goofing off, we need to be quiet from here forward.”

               Sam chuckled, standing up next to her, “Yes, ma’am.”

               Dorthey looked up at the tree, her eyes following the branches that lead all the way to a large window; her old bedroom window, to be specific. Dorthey couldn’t help but feel her stomach knot up at the thought of what she would find inside. Knowing her mother, Dorthey figured her room would now be nothing more than a space for storage of unnecessary things. Dorthey’s room was the only sanctuary she had when she was home from school, it would make since for her mother to take that away from her too. Sure, she didn’t need her room now, but the thought of all her former possessions being gone felt like a twisting knife in Dorthey’s side.

               Returning her gaze to the branches, Dorthey jumped up, slowly pulling her body up onto the branch. It was at this moment Sam decided to chuckle to himself.

               “What’s so funny now?” Dorthey asked, pulling her body steadily on the branch.

               “Oh nothing, just enjoying the view is all….” Sam murmured, his voice trailing off at the end of his statement.

               Dorthey scoffed, “Are you always like this?”

               “What?” Sam said, innocently, “Charming? Humorous? Delightful?”

               “Vexing?” Dorthey suggested, glaring at Sam.

               Sam laughed, a deep sound that came from his chest, “Vexing, I like that.”

               “ _Of course, he does…_ ” Dorthey thought to herself with a quiet groan.

               “Come on now, Dot,” Sam said, a smile in his voice, “Admit it, you enjoy my company. I’m quite the catch, you know.”

               “Uh huh,” Dorthey said, her voice deadpanned, “Look ‘Mr. Catch’, if you’re done staring at my ass, get yours up here already.”

               Dorthey began moving forward, until she realized Sam had yet to follow her up.

               “Sam…” She warned.

               “What? You said when I was done….”

               Based on the absolute look of murder in Dorthey’s eyes, Sam quickly shut his mouth and climbed up the tree. Once he was up, Dorthey again began her movements forward, slowly, inch by inch. All the while, keeping a steady grip on the branches above her.

               And she probably would have continued at that pace, until she felt Sam’s breath on the back of her neck.

               Dorthey stopped, causing Sam’s chest to bump into her back.

               “What the hold up, Dot?” Sam whispered.

               Craning her neck to look back at him, Dorthey found she had to take a step back, so her face didn’t hit Sam’s.

               “Do you have to walk so closely behind me? I can feel you breathing down my neck!” Dorthey hissed as quietly as she could.

               “No,” Sam said, shaking his head before a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, “Why? Does it bother you?”

               There he went, teasing her again. But Dorthey wasn’t about to let Sam get under her skin.

               “Just don’t walk so close behind me.” Dorthey murmured, before walking again.

               Sam sighed, and Dorthey felt it.

               “I wouldn’t have to if someone walked a little faster.”

               Dorthey didn’t stop, but talked as she walked, “Not all of us are expert climbers, Sam.”

               “Eh, you’re learning.”

               Dorthey looked back at Sam, a small smile gracing her face at his words.

               “A little **_slow_** maybe, but learning.”

               And the smile was gone.

               Dorthey turned back, finally reaching her window, “Just keep your voice down, okay? We can’t wake anyone up inside.”

               “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sam says, his voice sounding slightly annoyed, much to Dorthey’s dismay.

               Taking a deep breath, Dorthey silently prayed this would go well. Taking a final breath, Dorthey swung her body down, before her boots made touchdown with the edge of her old windowsill. Reaching into her back pocket, Dorthey pulled out an old lockpicking kit Sully had. Peaking into the room, Dorthey was only met by her own reflection in the darkness beyond the window. It would seem the whereabouts of her personal belongings would have to remain a surprise a few moments more.

               “How’s it goin’ over there, Dot?”

               Looking back at Sam, Dorthey had to suppress a giggle at his current state. Arms out from his sides, trying his best to keep his balance, Sam teetered along the branch in waiting. Oh, did Dorthey wish she had a camera right then.

               “I’m glad you find this funny.” Sam grumbled.

               Opening the kit, Dorthey began to work her magic, “I’m glad too.”

               “You’re a cruel thing, you know that?” Sam mumbled.

               Dorthey wasn’t sure if he intended for her to hear that or not; but something in Sam’s voice told her that he had just spoke his thoughts without realizing it.

               On cue, Dorthey heard a faint ‘click’ as the lock unlatched from the window. And it was on that cue that Dorthey found her heart stopping. This was it, no more surprises, her past was about to meet her present.

               Gently, Dorthey Zara opened the window, and came home.

* * *

 

               They say one’s first steps are the hardest to take. And in that moment, Dorthey found her first steps into her bedroom window in twenty years was the hardest ever.

               Swinging her legs inside, Dorthey was pleasantly surprised to find her old couch was still there to greet her feet. And upon further entry, she also found a bit of dust waiting to greet her too.

               “No way….” Dorthey whispered, as she stood in the center of her room.

               Nothing, absolutely nothing had changed.

               It was all there, everything from her bookshelf, to her old dinosaur of a desktop computer, to even the electric guitar her aunt got her for her sixteenth birthday, complete with a broken string and all.

               It was all the same, and Dorthey found her eyes tearing up at the sight of it.

               “So, this is where teenage Dorthey spent all her time.”

               Dorthey hoped Sam didn’t noticed how she’d jumped at his sound of entry. Hastily, she wiped away the few tears that managed to escape her and turned to find Sam staring at her old guitar.

               “Well, what do we have here?” Sam asked with a chuckle, “You any good, Dot?”

               She had been; at one point in time, Dorthey would practice every night. Her favorite to play was U2, band of her first celebrity crush, Bono. She couldn’t remember how many time she danced around her room to “The Refugee” with her mother outside her room, pounding on her door telling her to turn her music down.

               “I haven’t played in years, I’m probably no better now than I was before I got the thing.” Dorthey answered, walking deeper into her room. As she did more details began to come out from the shadows.

               Her old posters hanged in their rightful crooked place on the walls, along with a few framed photos of the small amount of people she got along with here. Dorthey allowed herself to briefly notice one particular image, it was of her and her grandfather, taken when she was just six years old. In it, Dorthey sat on a work table in her grandfather’s office, surrounded by various maps and large half covered canvases. Her grandfather, Domenik, stood neck to her; a pair of specs on his face. Her memory of that day was a little hazy, but Dorthey remember he had been working on restoring a few paintings; while doing so, he had been explaining everything he did to Dorthey, as she would constantly insist she help him with his work.

               Dorthey forced her eyes to shift away from the photo. Now was not the time for reminiscing; now was the time for her to get to work.

               “Holy shit…”

               Turning around, Dorthey’s eyes widen at the sight of Sam standing next to a now open drawn, a small glittering bracelet in his grasp.

               “Don’t tell these are real, Dot.” Sam gasped, eyes locked on the shining jewels.

               Rushing over, Dorthey snatched the bracelet out of Sam’s hands, setting it back down in the drawer, along with a few other sparkling pieces.

               “They’re not mine.” Dorthey whispered, shutting the drawer quietly.

               “They’re in your room.” Sam pointed out, arms crossed over his chest.

               Glancing over her shoulder, Dorthey answered Sam.

               “They’re my grandmother’s; something she insisted that would make me more presentable at one of her parties.”

               “Oh…” Sam said, his voice growing quiet as Dorthey pushed past him and towards her bedroom door.

               Pushing her ear against the wood, Dorthey listened for any sounds of life coming from the other side. When none could be heard, she motioned for Sam to join her.

               “The coast is clear; my grandfather’s office is on the opposite end of the hall. We need to be quick.”

               Sam nodded, “You know the place, Dot; lead the way.”

               That she did; despite not having step foot in this place for twenty years, Dorthey knew these halls like that back of her hand. If you asked her to, she would be able to draw the blueprints of the home on the back on a napkin.

               Slowly, Dorthey twisted the door knob, and gently pulled the door open. Thankfully, the door had not made the slightest of squeaks, opening for her as silent as the rest of the manor.

               Stepping out into the large hall, Dorthey quickly through herself against the indent of her room’s entrance and gazed over her shoulder. The hall was empty, the row of chandeliers above not even lit.

               “Wow….” Dorthey heard Sam breath out; she threw him a disapproving look at the noise he was making.

               Sam shrugged, mouthing a ‘sorry’ towards Dorthey, before silently shutting the door behind him. Moving from her place against the wall, Dorthey nodded her head to the side.

               “This way.” She whispered, as she walked ahead.

               As they moved silently, Sam on her right side, Dorthey observed the place she once called home.

               Zara manor had been in the family for many generations. It was probably one of the oldest buildings in St. Petersburg, and boy did it show. Everything in the architecture screamed 18th century Russia. From the soaring high ceilings, to the style of molding along the pale blue walls. The manor, built during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna, was rumored to have been built from a discarded design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the famous architect behind the even more famous Winter Palace, home of Romanovs. But that was only a rumor, and near impossible for Dorthey’s family to prove.

               However, based on recent knowledge of her grandfather’s discovery, Dorthey wondered if there was any truth to that rumor.

               Hastily, Dorthey and Sam made it across the hall and in front of a pair of frosted glass doors, the entrance to her grandfather’s office. Reaching her hand out, Dorthey attempted to open the doors.

               “Shit,” Dorthey hissed, taking a step back, “Doors are locked.”

               “You sure?” Sam asked, earning a ‘what do you think’ look from Dorthey.

               “Right, stupid question,” Sam said quietly, “What now? Can you pick it?”

               Squatting down, Dorthey narrowed her eyes, examining the lock.

               “Well?” Sam prodded.

               Dorthey sighed, shaking her head as she rose to her feet, “Its an electronic lock, must’ve been recently installed.”

               “So, how do we get in now, Dot?” Sam asked, placing his hands on his hips.

               But Dorthey didn’t answer him, she was already a step ahead in her thoughts. As her mind began to race, Dorthey’s feet moved against her, as she began to pace back and forth. Whenever presented with a challenge, Dorthey often found pacing to be her coping mechanism, helping her stay calm to reach a solution.

               “Um, Dot?”

               Dorthey didn’t hear Sam speak, she keep thinking, her mind search for the solution she needed.

               “Dot?” Sam hissed.

               “Shhh,” Dorthey scolded, still not looking at Sam, “I’m trying to thin-”

               “No, Dot!” Sam said, suddenly placing his hands on her shoulders and dragging her off to the side, “You need to move, like now!”

               Dorthey was about to hiss at Sam for interrupting her thought process, until she glanced over his shoulder and noticed a small light shining in the distance.

               That snapped her out of it, “Shit! Follow me!”

               Grabbing his hand, Dorthey and Sam rounded the nearby corner before stopping in front of a small door.

               Opening it, Dorthey practically shoved Sam inside, “In here, now!”

               Squeezing inside the closet, Dorthey made sure Sam was fully in before tossing her backpack at him and forcing herself inside. As she shut the door, Dorthey realized how cramped it was inside; she also noticed how her body currently was pressed up against Sam’s, the warmth of his chest radiating onto her back.

               Trying to keep her breathing to a minimum, Dorthey took slow, deep breaths, in and out. And she was doing well at it too, until she heard voices approaching her and Sam’s current hiding spot.

               Out of instinct, Dorthey twisted her head to the right, and listened.

               “Come now,” The feminine voice sounded, “It’s way past your bedtime.”

               Dorthey stopped breathing then, she recognized that voice, and immediately felt its sound tug on her heartstrings.

               “Sascha…” She whispered, just as Sam shifted behind her.

               “Your aunt?” Sam whispered back, his voice directly in Dorthey’s ear.

               Dorthey nodded, causing her ponytail to swat at Sam’s face, earning a quiet and rather irritated groan from the latter.

               Dorthey was about to scold him, before her aunt’s voice echoed again.

               “Now remember,” Sascha said, her voice coming just from around the corner, “What was the rule about tonight?”

               The next voice to follow, almost made Dorthey’s heart stop.

               “Don’t tell Grandmother!” giggled a small voice, followed by the equally childlike sounding laugh.

               “That’s right,” Sascha said, her voice now directly outside the closet, “You three must promise me that this little movie night of ours, stays between us. Понял?”

               “Yes, Mother.” answer three small voices, all of whom brought their own tear to Dorthey’s eyes.

               “Alright, now to bed, all of us.”

               It was a few minutes later, when Dorthey was sure that her aunt and the others had gone to their respected rooms for the night, did the two thieves exit their hiding spot and into the hall once more.

               As she stepped into the center of the hall, Dorthey couldn’t help but let her eyes follow the steps her aunt had taken, her eyes watering as she did so.

               “Hey,” Sam said, brushing her shoulder from behind her, “You okay there, Dot?”

               Dorthey eyes began to focus on nothing in particular as she spoke.

               “She had kids,” Dorthey stated, “I knew she was engaged when I left, and I heard she gotten married, but….”

               Sam’s grip on her shoulder tighten briefly in a comforting squeeze, prompting her to continue.

               “I didn’t know she had kids,” Dorthey said weakly, a small smile appearing on her face, “Cousins, I have cousins.”

               Dorthey had grown up being the only child in the Zara family; and through that time, when her mother wouldn’t care for her, and her grandfather was busy with his work, it was Sascha who cared for the young Dorthea, often being her friend first, and her aunt second.

               “Dot…” Sam said, his voice dropping into that sympathetic tone she had heard not so long ago in Monaco.

               It was enough to wake Dorthey out of her trance. Shrugging off Sam’s hold on her shoulder, Dorthey took a step forward, rubbing away her tears with her sleeve.

               “I’m sorry,” Dorthey said suddenly, surprising Sam with her words, “I didn’t think she still lived here.”

               “Your aunt, you mean?” Sam asked curiously.

               Dorthey sighed and nodded, “Last time I was here, she was engaged to some British business tycoon; a nice guy, from what I gathered. Certainly, a breath of fresh air from this house. Just before I ran away, she’d already was packing up all her things to move to England with him, I guess I was just shocked to see her that I-”

               Dorthey stopped, as an idea popped into her head.

               “Of course,” Dorthey said quietly, a small laugh leaving her lips, “That’s it.”

               Sam, who stood holding Dorthey’s backpack, raised a brow at her, “What are you talking about?”

               “It’s so obvious, why didn’t I think of it earlier…” Dorthey exclaimed, walking passed Sam, taking her pack out of Sam’s hands and swinging it over her shoulder.

               “What’s obvious?” Sam hissed, trailing behind Dorthey as she headed towards the direction of her grandfather’s office.

               “My aunt,” Dorthey explained, “What she said earlier, to not tell my grandmother about the movie night; when I was a child, Sascha would often sneak friends of hers inside the manor. To do this, she would have to shut down part of the security system; everything from lights, cameras-”

               “Locks?” Sam finished, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

               Dorthey smiled, walking towards the grand staircase, “Exactly.”

               Sam chuckled quietly, “So, we find this security system and shut down the locks?”

               “It’s a little more complicated then that.” Dorthey said, causing Sam to scoff.

               “Oh come, Dot. How hard can it be?”

* * *

 

               “This is the dumbest, most ridiculous machine I’ve ever seen.”

               Dorthey didn’t fight it and allowed her eyes to roll at Sam and his remark.

               “You only say that because you don’t understand how it works.” Dorthey pointed out, as she began to suss out the situation.

               “Yeah, well...” Sam replied, trying to think of a comeback, “Computers are your department, right? You got this, so I don’t have to.”

               “Wow,” Dorthey said sarcastically, “You come up with that one all on your own?”

               “Can it, Zara.” Sam growled, causing Dorthey to grin as continued to look through the security system.

               Things had certainly changed around here when it came to the internals of the place. It would seem someone had payed no expense when it came to security of Zara Manor. The system had three different levels of security that could be applied at any moment; including the unnerving ‘maximum’ security option, complete with, what appeared to Dorthey as laser-light security just like the ones seen in old Hollywood movies.

               Currently, the manor’s security was set at the minimum level. Things like the front gate cameras, to various security locks inside were all that operated now. Hacking into the system wouldn’t be too hard for Dorthey to accomplish. But shutting off just one lock…

               “What is it?” Sam asked, noticing a change in Dorthey’s demeanor.

               Dorthey sighed, “I got good news and bad news.”

               “Well don’t keep me in suspense here, Dot.”

               “Good news is, I should be able to unlock the door to my grandfather’s office.”

               Sam nodded, “Well, that’s good, right? What the problem?”

               “The bad news,” Dorthey said, “Is that we only have a limited amount of time to do so. Once I hack in, the system will be in sleep mode for about twenty minutes, allow us access into the office.”

               “So how is that bad news?” Sam questioned, not fully understanding.

               “We only have twenty minutes. Once those are up, the door will lock again, and we will be trapped inside.”

               Sam thought about that, “Exit through the window?”

               Dorthey shook her head, “No; none of the windows in my grandfather’s office can be opened.”

               Sam was about to say something else, but Dorthey beat him to it.

               “We are not smashing open any windows in my grandfather’s office.”

               “Okay,” Sam murmured, shutting his mouth for another moment before speaking, “So someone has to keep track of the time, while the other goes and searches for your grandfather’s research.”

               Dorthey looked at Sam, a sympathetic smile on her face.

               “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ll stay here while you head up and search.”

               Dorthey raised her eyebrows at Sam, “You sure you’re up to it?”

               Sam chuckled, “Look here, Dot. I know I’m not exactly as tach-savvy as you are, but I am capable of learning.”

               Dorthey crossed her arms, “As I recall, a few moments ago you stated that computers were my department, right? Something like ‘you got this, so I don’t’ have to’?”

               “Hey, what’s in the past is in the past,” Sam stammered, “Let bygones be bygones, and all that. Just tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do it.”

               Dorthey couldn’t help but smile at Sam’s clear avoidance of his earlier remark, “Okay, don’t worry, it’ll be very simple, all you’ll have to do is keep me informed on the amount of time I have left, from the countdown on the display screen.”

               Sam nodded to himself, “Seems straightforward.”

               And it would be; as Dorthey began working her magic, she found her family’s security system was hopelessly easy to hack into. It was like picking an actual lock; it took a little time, but with little effort, Dorthey was in, and all the controls over the manor’s security was at her fingertips.

               “You’re pretty good at this, Dot,” Sam said, impressed at Dorthey’s actions, “Where did you learn to do this sort of thing?”

               A certain man’s face flashed in the back on Dorthey mind, “An old boyfriend,” She stated, “From the states.”

               “Old boyfriend, huh?” Sam whispered, to which Dorthey looked back at Sam with surprise.

               “You’re not jealous, are you Samuel Drake?” Dorthey teased.

               Sam made a ‘pffff’ sound, along with a muttering of the word ‘jealous’, under his breath as if it were a joke.

               Dorthey smiled, returning her attention to the screen, “Don’t worry Sam, I haven’t seen Zechariah in over ten years.”

               “Bad breakup?” Sam asked, his voice sounding hopeful.

               “Nah,” Dorthey said, as she keyed in the code to bring up the office door, “Let’s just say it was an occupational hazard.”

               And with the tap of the enter key, Dorthey was in.

               “Alright Sam,” Dorthey said, as she stood up from her seat, “Timer’s all yours, keep your communication device on and give me a heads up on the time.”

               “Aye aye, captain.” Sam replied, taking Dorthey’s seat as his own as she ran up the stairs to her grandfather’s office.

* * *

 

               Dorthey wasn’t sure how she was supposed to be feeling right now.

               As she stood in front of those frosted glass doors, Dorthey began to wonder how many time did she exactly stand in this very same spot. How much of her time, of her life, did she spend waiting before these very glass doors? Dorthey couldn’t be sure.

               Taking a deep breath, Dorthey placed her hand on the door handle, before slowly clicking it open and pushing the sliding door open.

               Looking inside, Dorthey felt as if she was looking at the ghost of a room.

               Closing the door behind her, Dorthey wasted no time in walking into the center of the space. Without Domenik’s presence, her grandfather’s office felt like the shell of what it once was. When she was a child, Dorthey always thought that her grandfather’s office was the closet thing to Santa’s workshop she would ever see. Paintings, and various other artifacts would be scattered across the area; when he wasn’t feeding his obsession with the Romanovs, Dorthey would find her grandfather deep in his work of restoration of multiple Russia based art.

               “Life imitates art…” Dorthey whispered with a smile; a common saying her grandfather would restate every time she asked him why he did what he did.

               “ _Life imitates art, my Dorthea. It teaches us about life in the past. Before the photograph, paint was used to create still image of life. That is why I do what I do, Dorthea. That is why it’s important._ ”

               The wisdom of her grandfather’s words echoed in her brain as she moved closer to his work desk. Atop of a short set of stairs, the large class examination table, which was once the messiest surface Dorthey had ever seen, was now a neat display of various files and framed photographs that were covered with a thin layer of dust.

               Dorthey would have laughed at her grandfather’s expression if he could see his work space now; he would be nothing short of horrified at its appearance.

               Standing at his desk, Dorthey grabbed the stack of files on the surface and began to rummage through its contents. For the most part, Dorthey found only various business papers and records of his past job. Absolutely nothing about Anastasia nor the rest of the Romanov family could be found.

               “Yeah, that would be too easy.” Dorthey mumbled as she placed the files back in their neat stack.

               Moving on, Dorthey began to open a few of the drawers only to come up empty handed in her searches.

               “Dammit!” Dorthey hissed through her teeth, hands resting on the top of her head and she took a deep breath.

               “ _Such language from such a noble lady, say do you kiss your mother with that mouth?_ ”

               Sam; Dorthey sighed before answering him.

               “How much time do I have left?”

               Sam gave her a sigh of his own, “ _Not in the joking mood I see, well you’re down five minutes, Dot; fifteen left to go._ ”

               Perfect.

               “Thanks, Sam. Keep me posted at ten.”

               “ _Whatever you say, Dot. You’re wish is my command._ ”

               Dorthey could have gagged, “Don’t be cute.”

               A pause, “ _You think I’m cute?_ ”

               “Shut up.”

               A dark chuckle, “ _Fourteen minutes, Dot._ ”

               Cocky sonofabitch.

               Removing Sam from her thoughts, Dorthey continued her survey of the office space. She searched through the cabinets, examined the bookshelves, to even looking under various furniture in search of hidden documents. But Dorthey only grew more and more frustrated as she turned up empty handed.

               Dorthey’s heart began to sink at the dreadful possibility. What if her grandmother and mother destroyed her grandfather’s work? Or worse, sold it off like some common paint of his?

               No; no, they wouldn’t do that. Domenik’s work, no matter the kind, was worth too much to do that. But that didn’t help make Dorthey feel any better, nor did it bring her any closer to finding Domenik’s research.

               Feeling down, Dorthey pressed a finger to her ear, “Sam?”

               “ _Yeah?_ ”

               “How long do I have?”

               “ _Ten minutes, Dot._ ”

               Groaning, Dorthey found herself sitting at her grandfather’s chair. Perhaps having her grandfather’s research simply inside a drawer for her to find, was just too good to be true. And Dorthey was ready to accept that fact, until something caught her attention across the room.

               Walking down the short steps, and over towards a large leather couch, Dorthey noticed a device that simply didn’t belong in her grandfather’s office.

               An old laptop, circa 1991; the same year of her grandfather’s death.

               Dorthey gasped at the sight of such a piece of technology; to much of Dorthey’s knowledge, she didn’t think her grandfather found use in computers, let alone owned one.

               Without thinking into, Dorthey opened the laptop and booted it up. It took a while, but when the blue screen flashed before her eyes, Dorthey was confronted with her next challenge, a password.

               Dorthey sighed, nothing about this job would be easy.

               Unlike most computers Dorthey worked with, a laptop this old would have nothing for her tot truly hack into. A password would be her only option.

               Now, Domenik Zara was clever; Dorthey knew if this laptop was for her, to help her in completing her grandfather’s work, then her grandfather would have made the password relate to something Dorthey would know. But the question is, what would that be?

               Dorthey allowed her fingers to work themselves and typed in her first attempt ‘ _Romanov_ ’.

               The flash of the word ‘incorrect’ on the screen made Dorthey physically flinch at its appearance. Rolling out her neck, Dorthey tried again, this time typing the words, ‘ _Life Imitates Art_ ’. Again, that red colored ‘incorrect’ appeared as if to taunt Dorthey from her work.

               Dorthey tried to remember Domenik’s exact words to her in his will.

               _The tiara is the key, Dorthea. Find the tiara, keep it safe. Do this for me._

_The tiara is the key._

               Dorthey eyes widen at her thoughts, as she rapidly typed in a password.

               “The tiara is the key…” Dorthey whispered, just as she pressed down on the enter key.

               And just like that, Dorthey was in.

               There wasn’t much to be found on the laptop; the main object that caught Dorthey attention, was a file directly address to her, under her former name, Dorthea.

               Clicking on the file, a letter address to Dorthey herself appeared. And as quickly as she could, Dorthey read every single word.

 

               _My dearest Dorthea,_

_My time has come; my sickness has worsened. I leave this life in comfort, knowing that you will finish what I started. I purchased this device because I know that only you would know how to operate it, or at least bother to learn. You may be wondering why, why I have chosen you as the heir to the Zara family. I am not as naive as you may believe, Dorthea. I know life has been difficult for you; I feel that I am partially to blame for that. Your mother, my Tatiana, was raised under impossible pressures, that lead her in need of a release. And after one night of misbehavior, she found out she was pregnant with you._

_I cannot say I wasn’t disappointed by this news at first. After all, up until that night, your mother would have never behaved like she did. But from the moment I saw you, when I looked into your eyes, I found I was staring at the eyes of a true Zara; one who would bring greatness back to our name and glory to themselves. You, my Dorthea, are more of a Zara than anyone in our dysfunctional family. It is you who will save our reputation._

_If you’re reading this letter, then you already know what you must do. If you find yourself standing in front of my bookshelf, you’ll find a book titled “The Key to Love”. Inside you will find a key, this will unlock a safe deposit box I’ve left for you in the hands of Pietro Minsky. There I’ve placed the most sensitive of my research. The other half, you will find has been transferred on to this computer by my personal assistant. I hope the knowledge that I give you, Dorthea, will be enough for you to solve the mystery, and discover what really happen to young Anastasia._

_This, if my gift to you,_

_With greatest of love, you grandfather,_

_-Domenik Zara_

 

               Dorthey couldn’t believe what she just read; she was stunned at her grandfather’s words. So much so, that it wasn’t until Sam’s voice echoed in her ear, that Dorthey was released from her trance.

               “ _Dot, you got three minutes left; did you find anything?_ ”

               “I did,” Dorthey breathed out, as she quickly shut down the laptop, before gently placing it in her backpack, “And I’m about to find a lot more.”

               “ _You got the research?_ ” Sam asked.

               Walking over to the large bookshelf, Dorthey’s eyes gracefully investigate each and every title, until her eyes stumbled upon what she was looking for.

               Pulling out the book, who’s official title was “The Key to Love: A Collection of Romantic Poetry”, Dorthey couldn’t help but laugh. Knowing her grandfather’s distaste for works of poetry, in seemed fitting that the only book of poems he owned, was a hollowed-out decoy.

               Pulling out the key, which was connected to a long chain, Dorthey replied, “We have everything we need.”

               On the other end, Dorthey could hear Sam let out a breath in relief, “ _That’s good to hear, Dot, cause you’ve got less than a minute to get yourself out of there._ ”

               Looping the key safety around her neck, Dorthey put the book back in his place, before making it to the door. Sliding it open once again, Dorthey took one final glance at her surroundings, before shutting the door closed.

* * *

            “No, no, don’t thank me,” Sam said as Dorthey returned to the first level, “I love being a personal stop watch.”

               Dorthey, for what felt like that millionth time, rolled her eyes at Sam, “You can quit you’re complaining, Sam. From here on out we are going to be on the road to success.”

               “Uh huh,” Sam said, “And it wouldn’t have anything to do with that, now would it?” He finished, pointing at the key around Dorthey’s neck.

               Glancing at the key herself, Dorthey smiled, “I’ll explain it all once we get out, long story short, my grandfather split up his research, a portion of it is in my bag, the other half though we need to get elsewhere.”

               “Please tell me this ‘elsewhere’ is not in another time zone.”

               Dorthey shook her head, “Nope; in fact, its right in town. Turns out, my grandfather left me a safe deposit box,” Dorthey reached for the key, holding it up to Sam, “This key will unlock it.”

               A smile, one that Dorthey could only place as excitement, washed over Sam. Suddenly, he reached out and picked up Dorthey, spinning her around in a circle.

               “We’re gonna do this, Dot!” He said with actual glee, “We’re gonna beat that Petrov at his own game, and take that treasure for ourselves!”

               Despite herself, Dorthey allowed her emotions to surface, and partake in Sam’s joy, “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

               Sam stopped spinning, but kept his hold on Dorthey, “Maybe so,” he said, “But you’re that one who actually had to breaking into your own home. Don’t you own the place, or something?”

               Dorthey sighed, signaling for Sam to put her down. Once her feet touched the floor, Dorthey opened her mouth.

               “It’s a little more complicated than-”

               Just then, the lights in the front entrance turned on. Both Sam and Dorthey froze in their place, their eyes search for any threats around them.

               “Uh…Dot...?”

               Dorthey grabbed Sam’s hand, already moving forward, “We need to go!”

               Running up the stairs, Sam and Dorthey made a dash for her room, as they began running, it seemed each light in their path turned on above them. Each time they did, Dorthey felt her heart beat faster, and faster. If they could just make it to her room…...

               “Stop right there!”

               “Oh shit!” Sam said, his voice no longer at its softer, more quiet tone.

               Stopping in their tracks, Dorthey couldn’t look away from the sight before her.

               Up ahead, right outside her bedroom door, a shadowy figured emerged, and Dorthey found herself squeezing Sam’s hand tightly.

               “I should have known this is how you would come back to us. Did you seriously think you could break in without me knowing it?”

               Dorthey griped Sam’s hand tighter, her stance automatically becoming taller, stiffer and ridged, as the figure approached them.

               “So, what’s your excuse this time? Why go to such length just to steal from your own family? Tell me, моя дочь.”

               At those two words, Dorthey spoke up, slipping into her native tongue, “I have a right to be here! Grandfather named me heir, by right!”

               A cool laugh erupted, as the figured finally walked into the light, revealing a blonde haired, green eyed woman, her appearance matching that of Dorthey’s.

               “He did, but do tell me, is this the sort of behavior to be expected of the head of house Zara?”

               Sam, who had remained quiet up until then, finally found his voice, “Hey Dot, is this…”

               The fair-haired woman glanced over at Sam, her eyes narrowing at his appearance, like a snake examining her prey.

               “Don’t tell this is the reason for your return?”

               Sam may have not understood what she was saying, but even he could tell this woman was talking about him, “Hey, look here lady-”

               But Dorthey have Sam’s hand a squeeze, prompting him to stop speaking.

               “Yes,” Dorthey said, returning back to speaking English, “This is her, Sam.” Keeping her eyes locked with those that matched hers, Dorthey didn’t hide the bile in her voice as she spoke.

               “Samuel Drake, this is Tatiana Zara, my mother.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @khalessiofthefandomworld


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